India Confirms Its First Mpox Case, Public Health Measures Intensifies

The Indian Health Ministry confirmed its first case of Mpox in the Capital on Monday, raising concerns among the public and authorities regarding the transmission and an impending outbreak of the virus. The patient infected with the virus is a young man admitted to the LNJP Hospital, which is a government-run hospital in Delhi. However, the hospital authorities have confirmed that the patient is stable and there isn’t any major reason to worry.

According to reports, the person has travelled to India from a country where the spread of Mpox has been prevalent. In the wake of this case, authorities have geared up to intensify public health measures including contact tracing and monitoring to ensure the situation is contained. The Health Ministry has also ensured no indication of any widespread risk to the public now.

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. In August The World Health Organization (WHO) issued its highest level of international alert 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. The virus is first passed on from animals to humans and then starts to spread rapidly from person to person. The virus 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

According to World Health Organization (WHO) the common symptoms of Mpox are:

• 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

In some people, the first symptom of Mpox might be a rash, while others may initially have fever, muscle aches, or a sore throat.

Vaccination for Mpox

WHO currently recommends the usage of three vaccines -- MVA-BN, LC16, and the ACAM2000 vaccine. Additionally, new Mpox medicines are also being developed to address the growing issue. BioNTech, a German biotechnology company, is currently developing a vaccine which is in its early clinical development. The Serum Institute of India (SII) has 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.

Source: Moneycontrol