India has reported the first case of the MPOX clade 1 strain, which led the WHO declaring it a public health emergency last month, in a 38-year-old Kerala man in Kerala. The patient was last week confirmed to have contracted the monkeypox virus following his return to India from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The patient is stable, the sources said, adding “this was the first case of the current strain that led to the World Health Organization declaring Mpox a public health emergency last month for a second time”.

The earliest case of Mpox that emerged in the national capital was a 26-year-old resident of Haryana’s Hisar who had tested positive for the previous West African Clade 2 strain earlier this month. He was discharged from LNJP Hospital, Delhi on September 21. The Government had said that the case was not connected to the global public health emergency declared by WHO regarding the Mpox outbreak

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.

George also cautioned people, especially health workers who handle the samples of the affected persons, to strictly follow infection control precautions.

The Centre had, after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) issued a formal advisory to all states and union territories, urging them to enhance surveillance and testing measures. The advisory includes strategies to prevent and manage any potential cases in India. According to the health experts, 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.

Children, pregnant people and people with weak immune systems, including people living with HIV that is not well controlled, are at higher risk for serious illness and death due to complications from Mpox.

Some people with Mpox become very sick.

For example, the skin can become infected with bacteria, leading to abscesses or serious skin damage. Other complications include pneumonia; corneal infection with loss of vision; pain or difficulty swallowing; vomiting and diarrhoea causing dehydration or malnutrition, according to the WHO.