On Sunday, India’s Union Health Ministry announced the identification of a suspected mpox case involving a young male patient who recently traveled from a country experiencing mpox transmission. The patient has been isolated at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi and is reported to be stable. Samples have been sent for testing.
The World Health Organization declared mpox a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’ last month. While experts indicate that the risk of a large-scale outbreak in India remains low, the current outbreak, associated with the clade Ib strain of mpox, has heightened concerns. Clade Ib is mainly transmitted through sexual contact, which is a new aspect of its transmission.
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India has recorded around 30 mpox cases and one death since the infection was first detected in 2022. This is the first suspected case linked to the current outbreak. The country has implemented robust measures, including heightened surveillance at airports and ports, and prepared laboratories and isolation facilities to handle any potential risk.
Mpox typically presents with fever, headache, muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, and pox-like rashes, and while it usually resolves on its own, it can be severe or fatal in certain cases.
