India Records Suspected Mpox Case in Recent Traveler

The Union Health Ministry of India has reported a suspected case of mpox in a young male patient who recently returned from a country experiencing an outbreak of the virus. The individual has been isolated in a designated hospital and is currently in stable condition.

The health ministry’s statement emphasized that robust measures are in place to manage the situation. The case is being treated in accordance with established protocols. In addition, contact tracing is actively ongoing to identify potential sources of transmission and to assess the impact within the country.

While the ministry did not specify the variant of the mpox virus, tests are underway to confirm the infection. Experts are particularly concerned about the clade 1b variant of the virus, which appears to spread more easily through close contact. This variant was confirmed last week in Sweden and is linked to a growing outbreak in Africa.

Since 2022, India has recorded a total of 30 cases of a different strain, known as clade 2, but the emergence of new variants has raised alarms. Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, was first discovered in 1958 and can be transmitted through close physical contact with infected animals or individuals.

The World Health Organization (WHO) renamed the disease to mpox last year citing concerns about the original name being perceived as racist. In August, the WHO declared an outbreak of mpox a public health emergency of international concern, following the rise of the new variant.

As of this year, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported over 17,500 mpox cases and 629 deaths. The current strains, including clade 1b and clade 1a, have raised the need for urgent vaccination efforts aimed at controlling the widespread outbreak.

Health authorities in the DRC are hopeful that new vaccine supplies will help mitigate the ongoing public health crisis, which has prompted international concern.)