Government says the case not part of the current public health emergency, no immediate risk to public

India on Monday confirmed its first case of mpox, after the World Health Organization declared the infection a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on August 14. 

However, the health ministry clarified that the case is not linked to the global public health emergency declared by WHO.

"Laboratory testing has confirmed the presence of mpox virus of the West African Clade 2 in the patient," the health ministry said in a statement.

 “This case is an isolated case, similar to the earlier 30 cases reported in India from July 2022 onwards, and is not a part of the current public health emergency (reported by WHO) which is regarding clade 1 of mpox,” the statement added.

The individual, a 26 year old male, has recently traveled from a country experiencing ongoing mpox transmission. He is currently isolated at a designated tertiary care isolation facility. 

“Public health measures, including contact tracing and monitoring, are actively in place to ensure the situation is contained,”  the ministry assured. “There is no indication of any widespread risk to the public at this time.”

On August 14, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). 

"The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying,” Dr Tedros said. “On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”

Also read: No, Mpox is not ‘Money Pox,’ it is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus