The first case of monkeypox has been confirmed in the country. The test report of a person who recently traveled to a monkeypox-affected country has been found positive. The patient has been kept under strict observation in the isolation ward of a major hospital. Meanwhile, Union Health Ministry Secretary Apoorva Chandra has issued an advisory to all the states asking them to focus on screening and investigation in every suspected case. The ministry is keeping a close watch on this and people have been advised not to panic. The Health Ministry says that the lab test has confirmed the West African Clade-2 strain in the patient and the patient's condition remains stable. The patient has no symptoms of the disease nor is he suffering from any other disease.
Differences between Clade 2 and Clade 1 strains
The Health Ministry said after the infection was confirmed in a person who had recently returned from an ampox-affected country that this is an isolated case and is similar to the first 30 cases reported in India since July 2022, when the Clade 2 strain was also confirmed. The case is not part of the current public health emergency reported by the WHO regarding Clade 1 of ampox. The Clade-1 strain is currently active in African countries, which is more dangerous. Public health measures including contact tracing and patient monitoring as well as treatment are being carried out as per the laid down protocol. There is no indication of any wider risk to the public at this time, the ministry has said. The Clade-1 strain is spreading the fastest in African countries and its symptoms are similar to chicken pox. The Clade-2 strain had a mortality rate of 0.1 per cent
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Central government advice
Meanwhile, the Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra has issued an advisory to the states and alerted them. In view of the spread and prevalence of this disease in many parts of Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared ampox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for the second time. This declaration was made on 14 August last month. However, the Center had already alerted the airports and ports and now all the states have been told that if any suspicious case comes to light, it should be immediately screened, investigated and reported to the Center.
Preparations should also be reviewed at the state and district level
WHO has said that in view of the increasing trend of cases of ampox in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last six months, it has been declared a public health emergency. At the same time, an increase in the cases of ampox is also being seen in the East African countries of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Cases of new variants (mutant variants) of this disease, Clade 1B virus, have also been reported in these countries and it is also spreading to the neighboring countries of African countries. The Center has said that the states will have to focus on awareness campaigns, as well as ensure that there is no panic. Hospitals should have special isolation facilities, where suspected patients can be isolated. Health preparations should be reviewed at the state and district level.
The central government in the advisory has asked all states to make people aware about the disease, its mode of spread and the need for timely reporting. The WHO in its recent update has highlighted that the clinical picture of the cases has remained largely consistent. Most of the cases are of young men with a median age of 34 years (range 18-44 years). Sexual contact is reported to be the most common mode of infection globally. This is followed by person-to-person non-sexual contact and in cases where at least one symptom is reported, the most common symptom is rash, followed by fever.
