A 38-year-old man from Kerala's Malappuram district is the first case of the fast-spreading clade 1b variety of the mpox virus in South Asia. The man, who is currently stable and under observation, had recently returned to India after travelling to the United Arab Emirates. This is the same strain of the virus which led to the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring mpox a public health emergency last month.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus and there are two distinct strains of the virus: clade 1 (with subclades 1a and 1b) and clade 2 (with subclades 2a and 2b). The global outbreak of mpox in 2022–2023 was caused by the clade IIb strain. It emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo last year.
Several outbreaks of different clades of mpox have occurred in different countries, with different modes of transmission and different levels of risk. The two vaccines currently in use for mpox are recommended by WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, and are also approved by WHO-listed national regulatory authorities.
Symptoms Of Mpox Clade I Strain
The signs and symptoms of this variety usually begin within a week but can start 1–21 days after exposure. Symptoms typically last two to four weeks but may last longer in someone with a weakened immune system. For some people, the first symptom of mpox is a rash, while others may have fever, muscle aches or sore throat first. Some of the common symptoms are:
- Rash
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Back pain
- Low energy
- Swollen lymph nodes
Earlier this month, a 26-year-old resident of Haryana's Hisar tested positive for the clade 2 strain. New-born babies, children, people who are pregnant and people with underlying immune deficiencies may be at higher risk of more serious mpox disease.