India identifies initial instance of more lethal mpox variant
The strain of the virus identified as Clade Ib was confirmed by health authorities in Kerala's southern region, following its detection in a 38-year-old individual who had recently returned from Dubai.
On a Wednesday note, Kerala's Health Minister, Veena George, commended Kerala's robust healthcare system for identifying the case.
The spread of this strain, initially confined to the Democratic Republic of Congo, was labeled a global health crisis by the World Health Organization (WHO) last month after it got transmitted to four previously unaffected African countries.
Since then, the strain has been detected in various non-African nations like Sweden and Thailand.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that easily spreads among people and animals via close contact, such as skin-to-skin touch, kissing, intercourse, or utilization of contaminated items like clothes, linens, or needles, as per WHO.
Symptoms like fever, skin lesions, headaches, muscle and back pain, exhaustion, and swollen lymph nodes might occur.
The virus is distinguished by two genetic branches, I and II. A clade is a large group of viruses that evolve over decades.
Clade II triggered a global outbreak that WHO also labeled a global health crisis from July 2022 to May 2023. Clade Ib, however, leads to more serious illness.
According to Dr. Shubhin C, a health official in Kerala's Mallapuram district, the infected patient is being tested every four days while recuperating in isolation at a local hospital.
“The patient is improving. The lesions are healing. No new lesions. No fever and no other symptoms as of now,” the doctor informed CNN, adding the patient would be discharged after two consecutive negative test results.
Twenty-nine individuals who came into contact with the patient are now in self-quarantine, as per the doctor.
Thirty-seven travelers on the flight from Dubai to Kerala and five other close contacts of the patient are being monitored, the doctor mentioned.
Kerala's health authorities have been adept at managing infectious diseases.
“Surveillance has been intensified, including at airports,” shared George, the health minister, adding that five mpox testing facilities are in operation, with more planned if necessary. Consequently, isolation facilities have also been established, he stated.
Last year, Kerala managed to contain an outbreak of the Nipah virus after two fatalities. Schools were shut down, and hundreds of people were tested to prevent the spread of this uncommon and frequently fatal disease.
The global spread of Mpox, including its detection in Thailand, highlights the virus's ability to spread beyond its African origins and become a concern for the entire world. With the confirmation of Clade Ib in Kerala, Asia becomes another region grappling with this serious strain of the virus.
