Adam Hartley | CHR News Desk
New Delhi, September 1:
India has confirmed its first case of Mpox (formerly monkeypox) in a 26-year-old man who tested positive for the West African Clade 2 of the virus. The Health Ministry announced on Monday that the case is travel-related and does not currently pose an immediate public health risk.
The Health Ministry clarified that the patient, who recently returned from a region with active Mpox transmission, is isolated and does not fall under the World Health Organization’s (WHO) existing public health emergency, which pertains to Clade 1 of Mpox.
The patient is being treated in isolation at a designated facility and is reported to be in stable condition without severe symptoms or underlying health issues. Standard public health measures, including contact tracing, have been implemented to manage and contain the situation.
South Asia has recently experienced a significant increase in Mpox cases, with India marking its first confirmed case. This comes as the WHO has declared a global health emergency due to a new mutated strain of the Mpox virus, known as Clade I.
The patient was diagnosed following a preliminary test, raising concerns throughout South Asia, where the virus has been spreading.
The WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared the Mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other African nations a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on August 14. This decision, following recommendations from an independent emergency committee, emphasises the need for global coordination to control the virus’s spread.
The previous Mpox outbreak, which was declared a PHEIC in July 2022, was officially ended in May 2023 due to a global decline in cases.
Recent data indicates an increased risk of Mpox transmission in South Asia. A study published on August 21, 2024, reported that India had the highest rate of Mpox positivity in discarded condoms at 2.7%, followed by Pakistan at 2.3%. This study highlights the spread of Clade II Mpox in the region, which, while less severe than Clade I, still poses a notable public health challenge.
In Pakistan, health officials confirmed their second Mpox case on August 23, 2024. This new patient, a man who had travelled from a Gulf nation, was detected through airport screening. Pakistan had previously reported its first case on August 15, 2024, which was identified as Clade II.
The outbreak has also extended to other South Asian countries, with new cases reported in Thailand and the Philippines. Thailand confirmed its first case of the more severe Clade I strain on August 22, 2024, marking its first detection in Asia. Meanwhile, the Philippines is managing cases of Clade II, which have been present in the country since 2022.
The WHO’s declaration of a global health emergency highlights the escalating nature of the outbreak. The emergence of Clade I, a more transmissible variant of the Mpox virus, has been associated with a rising number of cases in Africa and now presents a significant global health threat.
As South Asia confronts this growing threat, health authorities are intensifying their surveillance and response efforts to contain the virus and mitigate its impact.
