First mpox case in India: How does it spread, what are the symptoms to watch out for?

Mpox was declared a global emergency last month, requiring urgent action to curb the virus’ transmission.

The highly contagious virus has been spreading rapidly to other countries, including Sweden, Thailand, Singapore, Pakistan and others.

India, too, has recorded a suspected case of monkeypox in a man who travelled recently from a country suffering an outbreak.

Here’s all we know about it.

What do we know about the first suspected case?

A young male patient who recently returned to India from a country with active mpox transmission has been identified as a suspected mpox case, the health ministry said on Sunday.

It has said the patient has been isolated in a hospital and is in stable condition.

The Ministry did not specify which strain of the mpox virus the patient might have, but tests were being conducted to confirm the infection.

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“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,” the Ministry said.

“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,” the Ministry added.

India detected 30 cases of an older strain, known as Clade II, between 2022 and March 2024.

What is mpox?

Mpox is a viral infection caused by the monkeypox virus, which belongs to a genus of viruses called Orthopoxvirus.

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The Orthopoxvirus family consists of the variola virus, which causes smallpox, the cowpox virus, and the vaccinia virus.

Mpox drew global attention in 2022 during an outbreak that affected the US, Europe, Australia, and many other countries.

The virus spreads by close contact and exists in two different forms, known as clades: I and II.

Men who engage in sexual activity with other men are most vulnerable to contracting Clade II mpox, which is mostly transmitted through personal and sexual contact.

Endemically found in West Africa, Clade II mpox is the strain that sparked a global outbreak in 2022. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state that it is “less severe,” with more than 99.9 per cent of patients surviving.

Clade I, on the other hand, is endemic to Central Africa and has killed up to 10 per cent of those infected.

Clade 1b has triggered global concern due to the ease with which it spreads though routine close contact.

The strain is a modified variant of clade I, an endemic type of mpox that has been present in the Congo for many years and spreads by contact with infected animals.

What are its symptoms?

After the virus enters the body, it replicates and spreads through the body via the bloodstream.

Symptoms usually don’t appear until one to two weeks after infection, according to The Conversation.

The common symptoms of mpox include skin lesions, fever, headache, muscle and back pain, low energy, rash (including symmetrical or genital rash), and swollen lymph nodes.

While mpox is rare and usually non-fatal, the new variant of the disease kills around 10 per cent of infected people, according to The Conversation.

As per WHO, most of the cases of mpox have been reported among males between 18 and 44 years.

Over 120 countries have reported Mpox cases between January 2022 and August 2024, according to the WHO.

There have been over 100,000 lab-confirmed cases and around 220 deaths.

How can it be treated?

According to the US-based Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are no treatments are available to cure mpox infection.

However, studies suggest that the smallpox vaccine can help prevent mpox infections and decrease the severity of the symptoms.

One vaccine known as Imvamune or Imvanex is licenced in the US to prevent mpox and smallpox.

The MVA-BN vaccine, or the Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic, has been approved by the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Union/European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland and Canada.

In 2022, Japan gave a nod to the smallpox vaccine LC16 for use against mpox. Russia licenced OrthopoxVac the same year for vaccination against smallpox, mpox and other Orthopoxviruses.

How is India preparing for the virus?

Last month, The Hindu reported that India had been on alert since a new strain of mpox became virulent in Africa.

The health ministry has directed heightened vigilance at all international airports and land ports, particularly those bordering Bangladesh and Pakistan.

The government has also issued a directive over the virus and suggested screening, testing and contact tracing of all suspected patients.

To ensure effective management of any potential monkeypox cases, the ministry has designated three central government-run hospitals in New Delhi and approved three indigenously developed kits for detecting mpox.

It has notified states to identify hospitals to prepare isolation facilities for treating suspected and confirmed cases, as per NDTV.

An advisory asked the states and the Union Terrorities for “intensive and clear risk communication directed at healthcare workers, identified sites in health facilities (Such as skin, pediatric OPDs, immunisation clinics, and intervention sites identified by NACO) as well as in the community about simple preventive strategies and the need for prompt reporting cases.”

With inputs from agencies