India has reported its first case of the new Clade 1b mpox virus in the southern state of Kerala, according to media reports.
“Health Minister Veena George called for caution after the confirmation of Mpox case in Kerala. Airport surveillance has been increased, and travelers from affected countries should report any symptoms. Sample collection and treatment are confirmed,” the state government said last week in a post on social media platform X.
In a Facebook post, George confirmed that the person who tested positive for HIV was a 38-year-old man who had recently visited India from the United Arab Emirates. He was admitted to the government hospital in Mallapuram, George said.
Indian media said George, speaking in Malayalam to reporters, confirmed that the case was a new type of clade 1b. Reuters confirmed this, citing sources within the Indian Ministry of Health.
Reuters said Health Ministry spokesperson Manisha Verma confirmed the strain after Indian news agency ANI cited official sources as saying that the mpox case reported in Kerala’s Malappuram district last week was clade 1.
Get weekly health news
Get the latest medical news and health information brought to you every Sunday.
About 29 friends and family members of the patient and 37 passengers on his flight have been monitored at home but none of them have shown symptoms of mpox so far, Shubin C, a local official in Malappuram district, told Reuters on Monday.
Indian authorities issued advisories this month to all states to remain vigilant and ready to deal with possible cases.
The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global health emergency on August 14 after a new strain of the virus, first identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo, began spreading to countries in the region.
India has been on high alert for the virus since the WHO announcement.
The country had already reported 30 cases of the old clade 2 strain until March this year, and another case was reported this month.
“According to current research, the risk of an outbreak of infectious diseases is low,” the health ministry said in a statement last month after the WHO announcement.
Two types of mpox are now circulating in the Congo: the original strain, clade 1, and a new strain, clade 1b, with the term “clade” referring to the type of virus.
Mpox is spread through physical contact, including sexual contact, but unlike previous global pandemics like COVID-19, there is no evidence that it is easily spread through the air.
It usually causes fever-like symptoms and pus-filled sores and is usually mild but can be fatal.
In her Facebook post last week, Veena George urged anyone with symptoms to seek medical attention immediately.
– via files from Reuters
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
