The Mpox case recorded in Kerala last week has been confirmed to be from the fast-spreading clade 1 variant of the infection, reported Reuters on Monday, quoting health ministry spokesperson Manisha Verma.

This is India’s first case of the Clade 1 variant of Mpox.

Mpox is a rare infection caused by the monkeypox virus and was previously known as monkeypox. Clades 1 and 2 are the two types of the virus that causes Mpox.

While clade 1 is responsible for the current rise of cases in Africa, clade 2 is the type that caused the global outbreak that began in 2022. Historically, clade 1 caused higher numbers of severe illnesses than clade 2, with up to 10% of people dying from it.

Recent outbreaks have seen much lower death rates of about 1-3.3%.

On September 9, the Union health ministry confirmed the first case of Mpox in the country in a 26-year-old resident of Haryana’s Hisar. He had tested positive for the Clade 2 strain.

On Wednesday, the Kerala government confirmed that a 38-year-old man, who was being treated for Mpox symptoms in Malappuram after returning from the United Arab Emirates, had been diagnosed with the infection. He was being treated at the state-run Manjeri Medical College.

Dr Shubin C, Malappuram district’s nodal officer, told Reuters on Monday that approximately 29 friends and family members of the patient, along with 37 fellow passengers from his flight, are being monitored at their homes. None of them have displayed any symptoms of Mpox so far, he said.

On August 14, the World Health Organisation declared the Mpox outbreaks in Africa as a global emergency. At that point, cases of the disease had been confirmed among children and adults in more than a dozen countries.

Since the 2022 declaration of Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO, India has reported 32 cases of the Mpox.

The Kerala government has urged the public to seek treatment and inform the health department if they experience any symptoms of the infection.

Mpox leads to rash and flu-like symptoms and spreads through wild animals like rodents and primates mainly in parts of Africa, according to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service. It can also be transmitted through close contact with persons who have Mpox and contaminated materials.

While most persons infected by the virus fully recover, some get very ill. Vaccines are available for Mpox.

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