Mpox in India: First case of Clade 1b strain that triggered WHO ’public health emergency’ detected in Kerala
A 38-year-old man in Kerala has tested positive for the Clade 1b strain of Mpox after returning from the UAE. Kerala Health Minister Veena George has urged the public to report symptoms and has implemented enhanced surveillance and treatment protocols at hospitals.
India reported its first Mpox case belonging to the Clade 1b strain on Monday — weeks after it was declared a public health emergency by WHO. The patient is a 38-year-old man from Malappuram district in Kerala who had recently returned from the United Arab Emirates.
The infected individual was admitted to a government medical college hospital in the district and remains in a ‘stable’ condition. A nodal officer told Reuters that around 29 friends and family members of the patient along with 37 passengers on his flight were currently being monitored at home. None of them have shown any Mpox symptoms so far.
This is the first case belonging to the Clade 1b strain which prompted the World Health Organization to declare Mpox a public health emergency last month for a second time. The earlier case of Mpox that emerged in the national capital was a 26-year-old resident of Haryana's Hisar who has 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 were reported in India.
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.
George also cautioned people, especially health workers who handle the samples of the affected persons, to strictly follow infection control precautions.
Mpox infections are generally self-limiting, lasting between two and four weeks, and patients usually recover with supportive medical care and management.
It is transmitted through prolonged and close contact with an infected patient.
Mpox typically manifests itself with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Business NewsNewsIndiaMpox in India: First case of Clade 1b strain that triggered WHO ’public health emergency’ detected in Kerala
First Published:23 Sep 2024, 06:44 PM IST
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