India’s health ministry has reported a suspected case of mpox in a young patient who recently traveled from a country experiencing an outbreak of the virus. The patient is currently isolated in a hospital in stable condition, and tests are being conducted to confirm the infection. The ministry stated that contact tracing is ongoing to identify potential sources and assess the impact within the country.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, was first discovered in 1958 and can be transmitted from animals to humans or through close contact between humans. It causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body, with a clade 1b variant sparking global concern due to its ability to spread more easily.
The World Health Organization renamed monkeypox to mpox last year, citing concerns of racism. While the mpox outbreak has been declared a public health emergency of international concern, the WHO has clarified that it is not another COVID-19 outbreak. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has reported over 17,500 mpox cases and 629 deaths this year, with both clade 1b and clade 1a strains present in the country.
The DRC has received its first batch of mpox vaccines in hopes of curbing the outbreak, which has prompted the UN to declare a global public health emergency. Mpox cases have also been detected in Pakistan, the Philippines, and Thailand. The health ministry in India has implemented robust measures to manage the suspected case and is working to prevent further spread of the virus within the country.
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