India confirms 1st Mpox case as Africa returnee tests positive

The Health Ministry on Monday confirmed the case of Mpox (monkeypox) in a young male who tested positive for a strain from western Africa. The ministry said the patient remains clinically stable and is without any systemic illness or comorbidities. There is no indication of any widespread risk to the public at this time, it added.

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The government said testing had confirmed the presence of ‘clade 2’ of the virus, and that the particular strain is not a part of the current public health emergency, reported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) that is regarding ‘clade 1’ of Mpox.

“The previously suspected case of Mpox has been verified as a travel-related infection. Laboratory testing has confirmed the presence of Mpox virus of the West African ‘clade 2’ in the patient. This case is an isolated case, similar to the earlier 30 cases reported in India from July 2022 onwards, and is not a part of the current public health emergency (reported by the WHO) which is regarding clade 1 of Mpox,” the ministry said in a statement.

A ‘clade’ is a biological grouping that refers to all evolutionary descendants of a particular strain of virus. “The individual, a young male who recently travelled from a country experiencing ongoing Mpox transmission, is currently isolated at a designated tertiary care isolation facility. The case aligns with earlier risk assessments and continues to be managed according to established protocols.”

The ministry said contact tracing and monitoring were actively in place to ensure that the situation was contained.

Identify isolation facilities, Health Ministry tells states

• The Health Ministry has directed states to identify isolation facilities in hospitals for treatment of such cases
• Health Secretary Apurva Chandra has recommended contact tracing of suspected and confirmed cases to minimise risk of transmission
• Health officials have been asked to review public health preparedness at state and district level
• Lab network under Indian Council of Medical Research has been strengthened to test samples, and considering the disease epidemiology, the state AIDS control societies have been told to improve community awareness