The Indian Health Ministry has confirmed the first case of Mpox clade 1 in India. It was identified in a 38 year old male from Kerala who had returned from the UAE last week. This variant is more severe and deadlier than the clade 2 mpox which is why it was declared as a Global Public Health Emergency by the World Health Organization WHO in August 2024. On Monday, official resources told PTI that the patient had developed symptoms of the disease followed by which he was admitted to the government medical college hospital in Malappuram’s Manjeri.
As per WHO, monkeypox (Mpox) is a viral disease that is caused by monkeypox virus from the genus Orthopoxvirus. So far 2 variants have been observed which are clade 1 and clade 2. The global outbreak witnessed in 2022-23 was due to clade 2. The consequences of clade 1b mpox can be seen in central Africa. A U.N. Health Organization stated that more than 800 people have lost their life in the last one year due to the suspected Mpox in the continent. Congo’s Central African Neighborhood Burundi has also seen the effects of growing outbreaks as per reports.
The kerla man who has been admitted is in stable condition as of now. Meanwhile, the government is tracing his contacts and have also made it clear that there is no immediate cause for public concern. Before this case as well, India has seen 30 cases of the mpox disease. The last was seen in a 26 year old youth of Harayana. However, it was clade 2, known as the West African variant, which is less severe than Clade 1. Mpox is transmitted through close contact, exchange of body fluids, and has a much lower mortality rate compared to COVID-19. Moreover, health experts have ruled out the widespread transmission of the disease.
However, as a precautionary method the Kerala health ministry has appealed to its people especially those who are coming from abroad, to report if they have any symptoms and see to it that they receive proper treatment. The government has also released a list of state-run hospitals with facilities and treatments related to mpox patients. On top of that, all the medical colleges in this state have also been equipped with necessary facilities for the treatment and isolation of those who are affected.
Mpox clade 1 symptoms
According to the WHO, some common symptoms of Mpox are as follows. First skin rash or mucosal lesions then fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat. In only few Mpox cases, the first symptom is a rash, whereas in others, it is usually muscle aches, a sore throat, or fever. The treatment of Mpox is necessary and it involves supportive care including pain and fever management, hydration, skin care, nutrition and prevention of any secondary infections with the focus on Co-infections such as HIV.