India Reports First Case Of Mpox Strain That Led WHO To Declare It Public Health Emergency: Sources

India has reported the first case of the Mpox strain, which led to the WHO declaring it a public health emergency last month, in a patient from Kerala who had tested positive last week, official sources said on Monday.

They said Clade 1b strain has been detected in the 38-year-old man from Malappuram district who had recently returned from the United Arab Emirates.

The patient is stable, the sources said, adding 'this was the first case of the current strain that led to the World Health Organization declaring Mpox a public health emergency last month for a second time'.

The earlier case of Mpox that emerged in the national capital was a 26-year-old resident of Haryana's Hisar who has tested positive for the previous West African Clade 2 strain earlier this month.

Since the 2022 declaration of Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO, 30 cases were reported in India.