First Mpox case confirmed in India: All about the public health emergency, reasons for vaccine delay in Africa

The Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicenter of the global Mpox outbreak, has finally received its first set of vaccines

India’s health ministry on September 9 said that a man who recently travelled from a country experiencing Mpox transmission has been tested positive for the disease. The patient, a young man, was reportedly admitted at Delhi government-run LNJP Hospital on September 9 and his condition is said to be stable currently.

Public health measures, including contact tracing and monitoring, are actively in place to ensure the situation is contained, the ministry said, adding that there is no indication of any widespread risk to the public at this time.

The case comes amid a global resurgence of Mpox, especially following the identification of a new strain, Clade 1b, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The World Health Organization (WHO) issued its highest level of international alert on August 14 in response to the rising number of cases worldwide.

What is Mpox?

Mpox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. Once a disease that would pass from animals to humans, it can now also spread from person to person.

Mpox spreads through close contact with an infected person, contaminated objects, or infected animals.

Since 2022, there has been an increase in reported Mpox cases and deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Between January 2022 to August 2024, Mpox cases have been reported in over 120 countries. There have been more than 1,00,000 laboratory-confirmed cases reported and over 220 deaths among confirmed cases.

Symptoms of Mpox

Common symptoms of Mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions which can last 2–4 weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes, according to World Health Organization (WHO).

The first symptom of Mpox for some people is a rash, while others may initially have fever, muscle aches, or a sore throat.

Vaccination

There are vaccines recommended for use against Mpox. WHO currently recommends the usage of three vaccines -- MVA-BN, LC16, and the ACAM2000 vaccine.

Infact, new Mpox medicines are also being developed in order to address the growing issue.  A vaccine by BioNTech, a German biotechnology company, is currently in early clinical development, Virologist Dr Gagandeep Kang told The Indian Express.

The Serum Institute of India (SII) had also announced that it is developing a vaccine against Mpox. China’s top drug regulator has cleared a Mpox vaccine developed by local drug firm Sinopharm for clinical trials which could be the country’s first experimental dose to battle the deadly disease.

Why there was a delay in arrival of vaccines in Africa?

The Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicenter of the global Mpox outbreak, has finally received its first set of vaccines, nearly a month after WHO declared the infection a global health emergency.

However, the 250,000 doses are just a fraction of the 3 million doses authorities have said are needed to end the Mpox outbreaks in Congo, the epicenter of the global health emergency, according to Reuters. EU countries pledged to donate more than 5,00,000 others, but the timeline for their delivery remained unclear.

Mpox vaccines available currently are too expensive, costing between $50 and $75 per dose, thereby making them unaffordable for many African countries. As a result, they have to usually rely on direct donations by developed countries and vaccine producers, and on purchases by Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance) and UNICEF, The Indian Express reported.

(With agencies inputs)