Government Confirms Mpox Virus Presence in Isolated Patient, Assures of No Widespread Risk

New Delhi: The Centre announced on Monday that a probable case of monkeypox (Mpox) had been confirmed in a patient as a travel-related infection and that there is no broad risk to the public at this time.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, laboratory testing verified the patient’s infection with the West African ‘clade 2’ Mpoxvirus.

This is an isolated case, similar to the previous 30 instances recorded in India beginning in July 2022, and is not part of the current public health emergency (as reported by WHO) involving clade 1 of mpox, the ministry said.

The individual, a young male who recently travelled from a country experiencing ongoing Mpox transmission, is currently isolated at a designated tertiary care isolation facility. This isolation ensures that the virus is contained and the patient remains clinically stable and is without any systemic illness or comorbidities,” it clarified.

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The case is consistent with previous risk assessments and is being managed in accordance with established guidelines. This approach instills confidence in the public health system. Public health measures, such as contact tracing and monitoring, are actively being implemented to keep the issue under control.

The government reiterates that there is no indication of any widespread risk to the public at this time.

Health experts, with their extensive knowledge and experience, have advised not to panic as the monkeypox virus has minimal pandemic potential.

“There is no need to panic. While fatality remains high, transmission is possible only among close contacts,” Dr. Harshal R. Salve, Additional professor, Centre for Community Medicine at AIIMS, New Delhi, told IANS.

It’s important to note that Mpox is a viral disease characterised by fever, rash, and lymphadenopathy, which causes lymph nodes to enlarge or become irregularly shaped or sized. However, it is a self-limiting sickness that patients will recover from within four weeks.

The Centre has directed states and union territories to screen, test, and track contacts in all suspected Mpox cases.

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