Kerala on Wednesday confirmed India's second Mpox, or monkeypox case. The patient has been isolated, the state has said, and is being treated in accordance with established medical protocols.
Health Minister Veena George said a 38-year-old man from Malappuram had tested positive after returning from the United Arab Emirates. She said the man, on noticing symptoms, acted correctly by isolating himself from his family and was then hospitalised at the state-run Manjeri Medical College.
In a post on Facebook Ms George also urged the public to seek treatment and inform the Health Department if they displayed any of the known symptoms.
Nine days ago India reported its first case - a young man, who had travelled from western Africa - tested positive in Delhi. He too is stable and has been isolated to prevent the virus from spreading.
There is no indication of widespread risk to the public at this time, the government had said, explaining that testing had confirmed the presence of 'clade 2' of the virus in the country, and that this particular strain is "similar to 30 cases reported earlier in India, from July 2022 onwards".
READ | Isolated Mpox Case In India, But Not Part Of Current Outbreak
This strain, however, is not part of the public health emergency declared last month by the World Health Organization, the government said. The WHO notification was about 'clade 1' of the virus.
READ | New Mpox Strain Mutating Very Rapidly. How Scientists Are Responding
A 'clade' refers to a biological grouping that refers to all evolutionary descendants of a common ancestor or, in this case, a particular strain of virus.
Last week the government issued directives to all state and union territories to "review public health preparedness, particularly at health facility level at state and districts by senior officials".
READ | "Prevent Undue Panic": Centre's Advisory To States On Mpox
This should include briefing healthcare workers, "especially those in skin/STD (sexually transmitted disease) clinics, about symptoms, differential diagnoses, and action to be taken following detection of Mpox", the government said.
But it is "crucial", the government also said to guard against "undue panic..."
Also, to ensure information about Mpox and its common symptoms is available to the public, the government referred to the latest WHO update, which indicates that a majority of patients are men aged 18 to 44, and present with rash (systemic or genital) followed by fever.
And the most commonly reported mode of transmission, the government said, is sexual contact, followed by person-to-person non-sexual contact.
Mpox infections are generally self-limiting and last from two to four weeks. Patients usually recover with supportive medical care. The virus is transmitted through prolonged and close contact with an infected individual, and it typically manifests with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes, officials have said.
Last month the WHO declared Mpox a PHEIC, or Public Health Emergency of International Concern, based on the risk of spread of the current outbreak from beyond Africa, where a surge in cases has been reported from the Congo and other nations like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.
There is also a new strain from the DRC, scientists said.
NDTV Explains | Mpox: What You Should Know About Latest Health Emergency
According to the WHO, so far over 120 countries have reported Mpox cases from January 2022 to August 2024. There have been over 100,000 lab-confirmed cases and around 220 deaths.
The WHO has said a vaccine can help prevent infection and that this can also be administered after a person comes in contact with an Mpox carrier. "In these cases, the vaccine should be given less than four days after contact (and) can be given for up to 14 days if the person has no symptoms..."
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