Mpox Scare:  India on Monday reported the first case of Mpox strain 'Clade 1b', which had prompted the World Health Organisation to declare the current outbreak a global health emergency, in a patient in Kerala who tested positive last week, PTI reported. The first case of the deadly strain was discovered in the Malappuram district by a 38-year-old man, who had recently returned from the United Arab Emirates.

According to the news agency which cited official sources, the patient is currently stable and undergoing treatment, while contract-tracing efforts are underway.

"...this was the first case of the current strain that led to the World Health Organization declaring Mpox a public health emergency last month for a second time," the sources were quoted as saying by the agency.

Haryana Man With Clade 2 Found Earlier

Earlier, a case of Mpox emerged in Delhi in a Haryana man. The 26-year-old Hisar resident tested positive for the previous West African Clade 2 strain earlier this month.

Since the 2022 declaration of Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO, 30 cases have been reported in India, PTI reported.

Meanwhile, Kerala Health minister Veena George has already appealed to the public, including those returning from abroad with any symptoms, to inform the health department and seek treatment at the earliest.

In a social media post, she also released a list of state-run hospitals in various districts where treatment and isolation facilities for the affected persons have been arranged.

Besides this, treatment was available in all medical colleges in the state, the minister said.
Urging people to be vigilant, George said the state health department has already stepped up surveillance in airports in the state in accordance with the Centre's guidelines in the wake of the outbreak of Mpox in many African countries.

Those arriving from the nations where the infection was reported have been instructed to report at the airport if they develop any symptoms, she said.

As soon as the outbreak of the Mpox was reported in 2022, the southern state had brought out a Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) in this regard.

Isolation, sample collection and treatment, in accordance with the SoP, have been ensured in the state, the minister said and urged every hospital to follow this protocol without any fail.

(With PTI Inputs)