Suspected case of mpox identified, no cause for alarm: Health Ministry

The patient is admitted to the isolation ward in Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, said sources.

“The development of this case is consistent with the earlier risk assessment conducted by the NCDC (National Centre for Disease Control) and there is no cause of any undue concern,” the Health Ministry said.

Mpox was declared a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’ — the highest level of alert by the World Health Organization — last month.

After the WHO alert, experts assessed the risk of the infection in India and said there was a possibility of a few imported cases but the threat of a large outbreak with sustained transmission was low.

While India has reported at least 30 cases and one death due to the infection since it was first detected in 2022, this is the first suspected case in the current outbreak. The concern regarding the current outbreak stems from the spread of clade Ib strain of mpox, which is predominantly being transmitted through sexual contact. When it comes to MPXV, there are two different clades — clade I and clade II — the former deadlier than the latter. Sexual transmission of clade I infection had not been reported previously.

“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 Health Ministry said. Health units at airports, seaports and land crossings have been put on alert for the infection since last month. Laboratories and isolation facilities have also been readied.

Mpox is a viral infection caused by mpox virus (MPXV). The most common symptoms of mpox include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, swollen lymph nodes and pox-like rashes that last for two to three weeks. It is a self-limiting disease but can lead to death, especially among children and those with weak immune systems.