The Kerala health department is set to issue revised guidelines for Mpox management after the state reported India’s first case of a new strain. Health Minister Veena George confirmed that isolation facilities have been established across districts, and surveillance efforts, including at airports, have been intensified.
India on Monday reported its first case of Mpox, the strain that prompted the WHO declare a public health emergency, in Kerala’s Malappuram.
The patient is a a 38-year-old man and recently traveled in from the United Arab Emirates and is reportedly stable. The patient, who recently returned from Dubai, exhibited symptoms of the disease and was admitted to the Government Medical College hospital in Malappuram. His samples were sent for testing, which subsequently confirmed the Mpox infection.
A district health official said that the patient arrived in Kerala a few days ago and, after falling sick, was first admitted to a private hospital. Mpox, a viral illness related to smallpox, is characterised by skin rashes, fever, and flu-like symptoms.
Kerala has been on alert for Mpox since August following the World Health Organization’s declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The state had previously reported cases of the disease in 2022.The previous Mpox case in the national capital involved a 26-year-old resident of Hisar, Haryana, who tested positive for the West African Clade 2 strain earlier this month.
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A meeting of the State Level Rapid Response Team (RRT) evaluated the situation and recommended necessary steps to prevent further cases. Currently, five laboratories are conducting tests, with plans to expand testing if needed. The minister emphasized the importance of those showing symptoms, especially international arrivals, contacting health authorities for timely treatment.
Mpox, which causes fever, rashes, and swollen lymph nodes, can lead to complications in severe cases. The health department has instructed all government and private hospitals to report any suspected Mpox cases to ensure prompt intervention.
Mpox updated guideline
The updated guidelines aim to strengthen prevention and control measures as the state monitors the situation closely. There are two kinds of mpox, clade I and clade II. You can’t tell which kind of mpox someone has by looking at them. Each clade of the virus has subclades, clade Ia and clade Ib; clade IIb. Outbreaks from the subclades can have different characteristics, like who they affect, how they’re spread, or even how many deaths they cause. There are outbreaks of clade I mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that began in 2023. The outbreak on the eastern part of the country has spread into neighboring countries in 2024.
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In August, Thailand confirmed its first case of the Clade 1b strain of mpox – new and potentially deadlier strain of the virus. The infected person was a 66-year-old European man who arrived in Bangkok from an unnamed African country.
AIIMS, Delhi in August issued protocol for handling patients suspected to have contracted the Mpox virus. The statement came soon after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the virus to be of international concern and a public health emergency.
Mpox is spread by mainly through skin-to-skin contact. This could mean living in close quarters, or it may mean through sexual contact with a person with mpox. It may also spread by direct contact with contaminated items and surfaces used by people with mpox.
In areas that regularly have mpox cases in Western and Central Africa, people can also get mpox from contact with infected wild animals.
In real-life outbreaks, the likelihood of human-to-human respiratory spread of the virus that causes mpox appears to be low.
CDC recommends vaccination with two doses of JYNNEOS for people in the United States at risk of mpox. The vaccine is FDA approved for and expected to protect against both clades and all subclades of mpox.
