The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a public health emergency notice in response to the first case of the novel mpox strain detected in India, according to Reuters.
The new variety, known as clade 1b, is highly contagious and has been connected to the mpox pandemic in Africa.
A 38-year-old guy from the southern state of Kerala who just returned from Dubai is said to have the strain, according to media sources.
A common virus called mpox, formerly known as monkey pox, can produce excruciating skin sores.
In August, the World Health Organization designated monkeypox, or mpox, a public health emergency in Africa.
Since then, nations outside of Africa have been infected by the virus’s more severe strain, including Sweden, Thailand, and Pakistan.
Manisha Verma, a spokesman for the Health Ministry, told Reuters on Tuesday that the mpox case that was reported in the Malappuram region of Kerala belonged to clade 1.
According to police, the patient is receiving medical attention in a hospital, and those with whom he came into touch are being tracked down and observed.
According to the news agency, the district health officer stated that while the patient’s friends and family, as well as the 37 other passengers on his aircraft, were being watched, none of them had shown any symptoms as of yet.
Over 30 cases of mpox have been documented in India in the past two years. These cases have been linked to the older, less contagious Clade 2 strain.
An individual from earlier this month tested positive for the mpox strain in northern Haryana state and was admitted to the hospital for a few days.
Mpox spreads from animals to humans and between people through close contact with someone who is infected, including through sex, skin-to-skin contact, and talking or breathing close to another person.
It can cause symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and lesions across the body. If left untreated, mpox can be deadly.
The federal government has issued an advisory to all states, asking them to be vigilant for potential Mpox cases.
(BBC)
