India has recorded its first outbreak of the Mpox disease, Edum News reports.
The virus was reportedly detected in a man from Kerala state, India, and has triggered a public health emergency alert by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The disease which has been linked to the mpox outbreak in Africa, was detected in the 38-year-old man from the southern state of Kerala who returned from Dubai recently.
On Tuesday, Health Ministry spokesperson Manisha Verma confirmed that the mpox case reported in Kerala’s Malappuram district belonged to clade 1.
Verna however noted that the patient is being treated in a hospital and the people he came in contact with are being traced and monitored.
Mpox, previously known as monkey pox, is a contagious virus that can cause painful skin lesions.
The WHO declared mpox, which used to be called monkeypox, a public health emergency in Africa in August.
Since then, the more dangerous variant of the virus has spread to countries outside the African continent, including Sweden, Thailand and Pakistan.
Written by Hope James
