India records first suspected mpox case, male patient in isolation

India’s health ministry says it has recorded a suspected case of mpox found in a man who recently travelled from a country suffering an outbreak of the virus.

The young male patient has been isolated in a hospital and is in stable condition, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday, adding that the world’s most populous nation had “robust measures” in place.

“The case is being managed in line with established protocols, and contact tracing is ongoing to identify potential sources and assess the impact within the country,” the health ministry added.

The ministry did not specify which strain of the mpox virus the patient might have, but tests were being conducted to confirm the infection.

The clade 1b variety of mpox has triggered global concern because it seems to spread more easily through routine close contact.

A case of the variant was confirmed last week in Sweden and linked to a growing outbreak in Africa. India has detected 30 cases of an older strain, known as clade 2, between 2022 and March 2024.

Formerly called monkeypox, the virus was discovered in 1958 in Denmark, in monkeys kept for research. It was first detected in humans in 1970. It is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals, but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact.

Usually mild, it is fatal in rare cases. It causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body.

Last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) changed the name monkeypox to mpox, saying the name of the disease appeared to be “racist”. Last month, the global health body declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern after the new variant was identified.

But the WHO added that the mpox outbreak is not another COVID-19.

More than 17,500 mpox cases and 629 deaths have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since the start of the year, according to the WHO. Both strains – clade 1b and clade 1a – are present in the country.

The DRC has received its first batch of mpox vaccines, which health authorities hope will help curb an outbreak that has prompted the United Nations to declare a global public health emergency.

The virus has also been detected in Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand.

Source: Al Jazeera

--Agencies