 "Mpox: A global health concern")
Mpox: A global health concern
After rapidly spreading throughout the world, the Mpox virus has now reached India, where a 38-year-old male from Kerala was positively diagnosed with Clade 1B on Monday.
Before this, an additional individual in Delhi was discovered to be infected, and authorities subsequently verified that the individual had been diagnosed with the Clade II infection.
Since 2022, India has recorded at least 32 cases of Mpox and one fatality; nevertheless, the Kerala guy is the first person in the nation to have Clade 1b. What is Clade 1b infection? Does this strain differ in any way from others? Does India need to be alarmed?
What is Mpox Clade 1 variant?
To begin with, Mpox is divided into two distinct clades – clade I and clade II. Experts claim that Clade I is the most deadly and virulent variant of Mpox, and that clade II is the virus responsible for the global outbreak 2022. Clade II Mpox infections are less severe; over 99.9 per cent of infected individuals recover from the illness.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s eastern region is where the Clade 1b strain was initially discovered. According to a Fortune report, the mining town of Kamituga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s South Kivu province is where the Mpox Clade 1b outbreak started. Later, it extended to neighbouring nations like Rwanda, Kenya, Burundi, and Uganda.
According to epidemiological studies, Mpox Clade 1b spreads more easily than earlier strains did. Furthermore, Clade 1 strains are said to be more deadly, with a three percent fatality rate.
Fortis Hospital in Noida, Internal Medicine, Dr Ajay Agarwal, senior director stated earlier, “Clade 1 usually causes more severe symptoms like high fever, severe headache, myalgia and enlarged lymph nodes. The skin lesions are usually extensive and can often cause scarring of the affected regions whereas Clade 2 is associated with milder symptoms.”
Mpox Clade I Strain: Symptoms
This variety’s symptoms might appear anywhere from one to twenty-one days after exposure, though they often do so within a week. Usually lasting two-to-four weeks, symptoms can linger longer in people with weakened immune systems.
Some people get a rash as soon as they get the Mpox, while others may experience fever, aches in their muscles, or sore throats first. Among the typical symptoms are:
• Rash
• Fever
• Sore throat
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Headache
• Muscle aches
• Back pain
• Low energy
Mpox Clade I 2024: Precautions, safety arrangements
India has increased its surveillance for the Mpox viruses ever since the WHO issued an alert. The authorities in Kerala released a Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) to address the infection and stop its spread.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George has already asked the public to notify health officials of their international travel and seek treatment as soon as possible in regards to the guy who has been identified with the Clade 1b strain. She also made public a list of state-run hospitals located in different areas that have been set up to provide treatment and isolation facilities for those who are infected.
At the national level, hospitals are being urged by the Centre to identify patients who have rashes and set up isolation units. Additionally, it has been requested that diagnostic labs be prepared and furnished with testing tools in order to promptly identify the virus.
Every port and every airport has been placed on alert. Additionally, states have been urged to increase monitoring within their borders. Thermal scanning is mandatory for international travellers at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru.
Authorities have also stated that flyers exhibiting symptoms resembling Mpox will be separated and examined in accordance with government regulations as part of their increased monitoring.
First Published: Sep 24 2024 | 5:33 PM IST
