Central Government issued a new advisory on Thursday to states and union territories, instructing them to isolate suspected cases of mpox, previously known as monkeypox, and enforce strict infection prevention and control measures.
This advisory follows India’s first reported case of the clade Ib strain of mpox, making it the third non-African nation to encounter this strain. Clade I is known to be a fast-spreading and severe viral strain that the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated as a global public health emergency.
In the advisory, Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra urged states to promptly send samples from skin lesions of suspected patients to designated laboratories. Positive samples will be forwarded to the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology (ICMR-NIV) in Pune for genome sequencing to identify the specific clade.
Chandra highlighted that India has robust diagnostic testing capabilities, with 36 ICMR-supported labs nationwide and three commercial PCR kits that have been validated by the ICMR and approved by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO).
States are also directed to establish isolation facilities in hospitals for both suspected and confirmed cases, ensuring they are equipped with the necessary logistics and trained personnel. The advisory emphasizes the importance of community awareness regarding the disease, its transmission, and the need for timely reporting and preventive actions.
“It is crucial to prevent panic among the public,” the advisory stated. Additionally, states must review public health preparedness, particularly at the health facility and district levels, under the supervision of senior officials.
India has reported two cases of mpox so far. The first case involved a 26-year-old resident of Hisar, Haryana, who tested positive last month for the West African Clade 2 strain, similar to earlier cases reported since July 2022. He was subsequently admitted to a government hospital in Delhi.
The second case is a 38-year-old man who traveled back from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and tested positive for mpox last week, leading to his admission to a government medical college hospital in Kerala. His test confirmed the clade 1b strain, which is known to be more virulent and transmissible.
Outside of Africa, recent cases of mpox clade 1b have also been reported in Sweden and Thailand, making India the third country to report this fast-spreading strain. In response to the rising cases of mpox, the Health Ministry has suggested key actionable points for all states and union territories to effectively combat the virus's spread.
The Health Ministry stresses the need to enhance community awareness about mpox, including its transmission, the significance of timely reporting, and preventive measures. States and UTs are reminded to follow treatment guidelines strictly, isolate suspected mpox patients, and implement rigorous infection control protocols.
Moreover, if samples from suspected patients test positive at designated labs, they should be sent immediately to ICMR-NIV for genome sequencing. "We have robust diagnostic capabilities with 36 ICMR-supported labs across the nation and three validated commercial PCR kits now approved by CDSCO," the Health Ministry stated.
The recent case of a 38-year-old man from Kerala, confirmed to have contracted the mpox virus upon returning from the UAE, involves the Mpox Clade 1b strain. There are two main clades of the virus, Clade I (subclades Ia and Ib) and Clade II (subclades IIa and IIb). The WHO declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern due to a surge in cases linked to Clades Ia and Ib, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries.
The individual infected with the Clade 1b strain is currently stable. "This is the first case of this strain since the WHO declared mpox a public health emergency for the second time last month," a source revealed.
