India reports first Mpox clade 1b case in Kerala
PTC News Desk: India has reported the first case of Mpox clade 1b. The case has been reported in Kerala's Malappuram after a 38-year-old man who travelled from the United Arab Emirates showed symptoms.
This is the first case of the current strain that led to the World Health Organisation declaring Mpox a public health emergency last month for a second time.
"The man had a fever and rash similar to chickenpox on his body, after which doctor get suspicious and sent sample for testing," according to them.
However, this is the second case of Mpox. Earlier, the first Mpox case was reported in Delhi, however, it was a clade 2 case.
Mpox clade 1b spreads quickly. According to the World Health Organisation, this spreads "mainly through sexual networks, and its detection in countries neighbouring the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is especially concerning of the public health emergency of international concern (PHIC)."
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has been a public health issue in regions of Africa for many years before resurfacing as a global concern in 2022.
- ANI
