New Delhi, Jan 23: A 40-year-old man from Bengaluru with travel history to Dubai has reportedly tested positive for Mpox. The man has been admitted to Victoria Hospital and is undergoing treatment, media reports said. Further investigations are underway to confirm other details of the suspected case.
Mpox caused widespread concern in 2024, with about 15 countries in Africa battling the deadly infection, forcing the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a public health emergency of international concern in mid-August.
The outbreak began with the emergence of the poorly understood but more dangerous clade 1b variant. It was first detected in the DRC in September 2023. The strain was also reported in countries including Sweden and Thailand.
More recently, Britain's health security agency (UKHSA) reported a case of the mpox variant clade Ib in England -- the sixth case in the country since October last year.
Clade 1b is a deadlier Mpox strain, posing a notable risk to children.
In 2024, India also reported about three cases of Mpox, but the case belonged to clade IIb -- responsible for the 2022 outbreak.
Symptoms of Mpox include fever, blisters, swollen lymph nodes, and rectal bleeding; early detection is critical.
The WHO also prequalified Bavarian Nordic’s vaccine against Mpox -- a first against the deadly monkeypox virus (MPXV).
Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic or MVA-BN is indicated for active immunisation against smallpox, mpox, and related orthopoxvirus infections and disease in all adults 18 years of age and older.
The vaccine can be administered as a 2-dose injection given 4 weeks apart.
The WHO defines Mpox as a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus -- a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. It can be transmitted to humans through physical contact with someone infectious, with contaminated materials, or with infected animals.
The common symptoms include skin rash or mucosal lesions, which can last 2 to 4 weeks. These are typically followed by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes, which resolve independently. However, in some cases, it can turn fatal.
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