The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Mpox a public health emergency of international concern as it found a new strain of the virus in parts of Africa. More than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths have been reported this year. Is this of concern to India?
Mpox is a zoonotic illness, formerly known as monkeypox. It is a viral disease originating in animals such as rodents and primates, and transmits to people. It is found in parts of Africa, mostly around tropical rainforest regions. The first case of human monkeypox was detected in 1970 in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It was neglected, and later led to a global outbreak in 2022. The current upsurge of Mpox in eastern DRC and other parts of Africa, along with the spread of a new sexually transmissible strain of the monkeypox virus, is an emergency—not only for Africa, but for the entire world.
Mpox is a self-limiting disease usually lasting two to four weeks and patients generally recover with supportive management. Clinical symptoms are similar to those of smallpox. Transmission requires prolonged close contact with an infected person and is generally through the sexual route, direct contact with body/lesion fluid, or contaminated clothing/linen of an infected person. In some people, illness can be severe and cause death. Severe disease from Mpox includes larger, widespread lesions (especially in the mouth, eyes and genitals), secondary bacterial infections of skin or blood, and lung infections.
Newborn babies, children, pregnant women and people with underlying immune deficiencies such as advanced HIV may be at a higher risk of serious Mpox and death. It is important to quickly identify cases, isolate, treat and trace contacts to avoid further infection. Contact tracing has to be initiated immediately for all contacts over the past 21 days.
Last week, WHO declared Mpox outbreaks in eastern Congo and other parts of Africa due to the emergence of a new strain, Clade B1, which is spreading rapidly and has a high fatality rate. More than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths have been reported in these regions prompting WHO to seek a global response. Sweden has reported its first case. Earlier, in July 2022, WHO reported 99,176 cases and 208 deaths worldwide. Around 30 cases were reported in India that year. The last case in India was detected in March 2024.
India is monitoring the outbreak. Health teams at international airports are being sensitized. Currently, 32 labs are equipped for testing and more are being geared for early diagnosis. The central and state governments are gearing up their hospitals such as RML, Safdarjung, AIIMS, and Lady Hardinge to treat Mpox patients. The National Institute of Virology, Pune, will take samples for testing but has not reported any positive case yet. The Serum Institute of India is working on a vaccine in collaboration with ICMR
