India confirms first case of mpox

India on Monday said an “isolated” case of mpox virus has been confirmed in the country but made it clear that it has been verified as a travel-related infection and not a part of the global public health emergency sounded by the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the outbreak.

In a statement, the health ministry said, “The previously suspected case of Mpox (monkeypox) has been verified as a travel-related infection. Laboratory testing has confirmed the presence of Mpox virus of the West African clade 2 in the patient.”

It said, “This is an isolated case, similar to the earlier 30 cases reported in India from July 2022 onwards and is not a part of the current public health emergency (reported by WHO) which is regarding clade 1 of Mpox.”

There is no indication of any widespread risk to the public at this time, the ministry said.

The mpox patient, a young male, who recently travelled from a country experiencing ongoing mpox transmission, is currently at a designated tertiary care isolation facility and his condition remains clinically stable without any systemic illness or comorbidities, read the statement.

The confirmed case aligns with earlier risk assessments and continues to be managed according to established protocols. And contact-tracing and monitoring, are actively in place to ensure the situation is contained.

The development came on a day when the health ministry in a letter alerted all states and federally-ruled territories about mpox and outlined the measures to counter the virus.