Thu Sep 26 19:54:25 UTC 2024: ## India Reports First Case of Mpox Clade 1b Strain, Raising Concerns
**NEW DELHI -** India has confirmed its first case of the Mpox Clade 1b strain, a variant of the virus that prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the disease a public health emergency for the second time last month. The 38-year-old man, who recently returned from the United Arab Emirates, was admitted to a government hospital in Malappuram, Kerala, where his condition is currently stable.
This news comes just weeks after India reported a case of the earlier West African Clade 2 strain in a 26-year-old resident of Haryana. Since the WHO declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in 2022, India has documented 30 cases.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George has urged the public to inform the health department if they experience any Mpox symptoms, particularly those returning from other countries. Treatment and isolation facilities have been established in various hospitals across the state.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral illness that spread globally in 2022-2023. The virus was first discovered in Denmark in 1958 and the first human case was reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970. Since the eradication of smallpox in 1980, Mpox has become more prevalent in Central, East, and West Africa.
The emergence of the Clade 1b strain, known for its potential to spread more easily, has raised concerns about the virus’s trajectory. Health officials are closely monitoring the situation and urging the public to take precautions to prevent further transmission.
First Piper 