Boss98.9 FM
India has reported its first case with the new mpox strain that has triggered a public health emergency alert by the World Health Organization (WHO),
On Tuesday, India’s Health Ministry spokesperson Manisha Verma confirmed to news agencies that the mpox case reported in Kerala’s Malappuram district belonged to clade 1.
Called clade 1b, the new variant is highly-transmissible and has been linked to the mpox outbreak in Africa.
According to media reports, the strain has been detected in a 38-year-old man from the southern state of Kerala who returned from Dubai recently.
Mpox, previously known as monkey pox, is a contagious virus that can cause painful skin lesions.
Recall that the WHO declared mpox a public health emergency in Africa in August, and since then, the more dangerous variant of the virus has spread to countries outside the African continent, including Sweden, Thailand and Pakistan.
