The southern state of Kerala has reported that India now has its second case of Mpox or monkeypox, with a 38-year-old man from Malappuram having contracted the virus after traveling to the United Arab Emirates. The said patient has been quarantined and is receiving his/her treatment at Manjeri Medical College as required by the medical practices. Veena George, the Health Minister, said the individual deserves commendation for Observing that he had developed symptoms and immediately quarantined himself.
The latest case occurred only nine days after the first case was reported in India from a young man traveling from West Africa who is now in stable condition in Delhi. The health officers have downplayed the implications on the public at a large level at this moment, as testing has revealed the ‘clade 2’ of the virus, which resembles the reports from India ever since July 2022. However, this strain is not included in the WHO Emergency Use Listing issued last month, which concerns ‘clade 1’.
In response to the situation, the government has directed all the states and union territories to assess their preparedness in the public health field, especially in health facilities. This includes educating healthcare personnel, especially those placed in the skin or sexually transmitted diseases clinics, on how to identify symptoms of Mpox and the measures to take when they realize its presence.
The government has also focused on avoiding any excessive risk while disseminating information concerning Mpox and symptoms related to it. As of the latest WHO updates, most affected people are males between the ages of 18 and 44 and commonly manifest with rash and fever. The most common means of transmission include sexual contact, and the second commonly recognized mode is close contact, not sexual.
Mpox infections are known to be mild and resolve on their own within two to four weeks, although medical support can help the sick recover. The WHO has stated that Mpox is a public health emergency of international concern because of the outbreak in countries outside Africa, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.
More than 120 countries have introduced Mpox since January this year, with more than 100 thousand cases confirmed in laboratories and about 220 dead. Protection through immunization is advised, including early vaccination within four days of contact with a person who has the virus.
