India reports first suspected case of Mpox, patient put under isolation

Samples from the patient are being tested to confirm the presence of Mpox

A young male patient, who recently travelled from a country currently experiencing Mpox (monkeypox) transmission, has been identified as a suspect case of Mpox, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Sunday. The patient has been isolated in a designated hospital and is currently stable, the ministry further said.

"Samples from the patient are being tested to confirm the presence of Mpox. The case is being managed in line with established protocols, and contact tracing is ongoing to identify potential sources and assess the impact within the country," according to a statement issued by the Health Ministry.

The development of this case is consistent with the earlier risk assessment conducted by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and there is no cause of any undue concern, it said. The country is fully prepared to deal with such isolated travel-related cases and has robust measures in place to manage and mitigate any potential risk, the ministry added.

MPox: What is it

Mpox is an infectious disease that can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, headache, muscle ache, back pain and low energy. Most people fully recover, but some get very sick. Mpox is caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV). It is an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the Poxviridae family, which includes variola, cowpox, vaccinia and other viruses. There are two distinct clades of the virus: clade I (with subclades Ia and Ib) and clade II (with subclades IIa and IIb).

Transmission of Mpox

Mpox spreads from person to person mainly through close contact with someone who has mpox, including members of a household. Close contact includes skin-to-skin (such as touching or sex) and mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-skin contact (such as kissing), and it can also include being face-to-face with someone who has mpox (such as talking or breathing close to one another, which can generate infectious respiratory particles).

People with multiple sexual partners are at higher risk of acquiring mpox. People can also contract mpox from contaminated objects such as clothing or linen, through needle injuries in health care, or in community settings such as tattoo parlours.

Signs and symptoms of Mpox: 

Rash
Fever
Sore throat
Headache
Muscle aches
Back pain
Low energy
Swollen lymph nodes.
For some people, the first symptom of mpox is a rash, while others may have fever, muscle aches or sore throat first.