India reports first case of Mpox Clade 1b strain that triggered WHO alert

India on Monday reported its first case of Mpox Clade 1b strain, that triggered the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare a public health emergency, in a 38-year-old man from Kerala, who had recently returned from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

“The Clade 1b strain has been found in a 38-year old man from Kerala’s Malappuram district who had tested positive last week,” official sources said.

The patient is currently stable, and had recently returned from the UAE, they said.

The Kerala patient is the second Mpox case detected in India since the WHO declared it as a public health emergency of immediate concern (PHEIC) last month after a surge in cases in African countries.

The earlier case of Mpox had emerged in New Delhi, with a 26-year-old man from Hisar in Haryana testing positive for the previous West African Clade 2 strain, which was not a part of the WHO warning. “The patient has been discharged on Saturday,” the source added.

Mpox or monkeypox is a zoonotic disease, which can be transmitted through direct contact with infectious skin or other lesions (mouth, genitals). Infection can also occur via use of contaminated objects such as clothing or linens or in a community setting.

The union health ministry had earlier this month directed all states and Union Territories (UT) to review their public health preparedness, along with screening and testing of all suspected cases of Mpox.

It had also asked states to increase screening and identification of isolation facilities in hospitals for taking care of both suspected and confirmed cases, availability of required logistics and trained human resources in such facilities and augmentation plan.

Currently, there are 22 laboratories actively conducting Mpox testing, according to a communicable disease alert (CD Alert) shared by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

State AIDS control societies too have been told to be on alert to pick up suspected cases and improve community awareness as around half the cases are reported to be in persons with HIV.