India has reported its first case of Mpox clade 1b, confirmed in a 38-year-old man from Kerala’s Malappuram district. The individual had recently returned from the United Arab Emirates and began exhibiting symptoms, according to official sources.
This is the first recorded instance of Mpox clade 1b in the country. The patient developed a fever and a rash resembling chickenpox, prompting doctors to send samples for testing. This particular strain, which led the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare a public health emergency, has raised concerns due to its rapid spread.
Previously, a case of Mpox had been detected in Delhi, but it was identified as clade 2. The clade 1b variant, however, is known to spread quickly. According to the WHO, this strain primarily transmits through sexual networks, and its presence in countries near the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains concerning due to its public health implications.
Mpox, formerly referred to as monkeypox, has long been a health issue in parts of Africa but gained global attention in 2022. Since January of that year, cases have been reported across 121 countries, spanning all six WHO regions.
As of the WHO’s Mpox report from September 3, 2024, global data through July 31 shows 102,997 confirmed cases, 186 probable cases, and 223 fatalities. In July alone, 1,425 cases and six deaths were reported worldwide, with the majority of cases originating from the African region, followed by the Americas and Europe. The South-East Asia Region accounted for 1% of the total cases.
