Tue Sep 10 19:51:00 UTC 2024: ## India Confirms First Case of Mpox, Patient Stable and Virus Identified as West African Clade 2
**New Delhi, India -** India has confirmed its first case of mpox, with a 26-year-old man from Haryana’s Hisar testing positive for the virus. The patient, who recently returned from abroad, was admitted to LNJP Hospital in Delhi after displaying mpox symptoms.
The Ministry of Health has confirmed the strain as West African Clade 2, which is currently circulating in several countries but is not part of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) current public health emergency warning. The WHO issued its highest international alert level in August 2022 after a resurgence of the virus and the detection of a new strain, dubbed Clade 1b, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The 2022 epidemic was caused by Clade 2, while the new Clade 1b strain was first detected in eastern DR Congo in September 2023 and has since spread to other African nations, as well as parts of Asia and Europe. There have been no confirmed cases of the Clade 1b strain in India.
The patient, currently clinically stable and without any systemic illness or comorbidities, is being managed according to established protocols. Authorities are actively engaged in contact tracing and monitoring to ensure containment. The Ministry of Health has emphasized that there is no indication of any widespread risk to the public at this time.
Mpox symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes. A distinctive rash progressing through stages – macules, papules, vesicles, pustules, and scabs – typically starts on the face and spreads to other parts of the body. Transmission occurs through direct contact with infected animals, humans, or contaminated materials. The virus can also spread through respiratory droplets, particularly in close and prolonged contact.
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