A man, who returned to India from a country currently experiencing Mpox (monkeypox) transmission, has been identified as a suspect case of Mpox, the Ministry of Health said on Sunday, adding that the person has been isolated in a hospital and is currently stable.
This is the first suspected case of monkeypox in the country. Samples from the person are being tested to confirm the presence of the virus. The case is being managed in line with established protocols, and contact tracing is ongoing to identify potential sources and assess the impact within the country, the ministry said.
The development of this case is consistent with the earlier risk assessment conducted by the NCDC and there is no cause of any undue concern, the health ministry said. "The country is fully prepared to deal with such isolated travel-related case and has robust measures in place to manage and mitigate any potential risk."
Last month, Thailand reported Asia's first known case of a new and deadlier strain of mpox in a patient who returned from Africa. Thailand's Department of Disease Controlsaid laboratory tests on the 66-year-old had confirmed he was infected with the mpox Clade 1b variant.
Pakistan has also reported at least one case of the mpox virus in a patient who had returned from a Gulf country.
Reuters in a report on August 19 said that more than 80 countries where monkeypox was not endemic had reported outbreaks of the viral disease and the confirmed cases crossed 40,000 and non-endemic countries reported their first related deaths.
On August 31, UNICEF announced that it had issued an emergency tender for the procurement of mpox vaccines. The global agency said that more than 18 000 suspected cases of mpox, including 629 deaths, had been reported this year in Congo which, the epicentre of the crisis.
A new form of the virus has triggered global concern because it seems to spread more easily though routine close contact. As per WHO, mpox can be transmitted through close contact with someone who has mpox, with contaminated materials, or with infected animals. During pregnancy, the virus may be passed to the fetus, or to the newborn during or after birth.