First case of Mpox’s deadly variant Clade 1b found in India

New Delhi: A patient of the deadly Clade 1b variant of Mpox has been confirmed in India. The case has come to light in Kerala’s Malappuram district, where this deadly variant was identified in a 38-year-old man. He had recently returned from the United Arab Emirates. Government sources said, “This is the country’s first Mpox Clade 1b case. The man had fever and chickenpox-like rashes, after which doctors suspected him and his sample was sent for examination.” This is the second case of Mpox in India. The first case was reported in Delhi, but that case was of Clade-2, which was different from the WHO public emergency. The recent case is related to this warning of WHO.

Mpox Clade 1b spreads rapidly. According to the World Health Organization, it spreads especially through sexual networks and this virus has become a major crisis in the neighboring countries of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Mpox was earlier known as monkeypox, but WHO changed its name. This virus has long been a major health problem in African countries.

According to the World Health Organization, since January 1, 2022, cases of Mpox have been reported in 121 member countries. This information has been given in the WHO report and it has been told that 102,997 cases have been confirmed worldwide. Apart from these, 223 deaths have also been recorded. In the month of July alone this year, 1,425 cases and six deaths were recorded.

55 percent of Mpox cases were reported in African countries. Apart from these, 24 percent of the patients of this case were identified in the American regions and 11 percent of the cases have been reported in Europe. The South-East Asia Region (SEAR) has reported 1 percent of the total cases. Hospitals and labs have been set up in India to deal with its problems.