Suspected Mpox case under investigation, patient isolated: Centre

New Delhi: The government on Sunday said that suspected Monkeypox (Mpox) has been identified in a young male patient in the country, who has been isolated in a designated hospital and was under investigation.

Stressing there is no cause for alarm, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said that a young male patient, who recently travelled from a country currently experiencing Mpox transmission, "has been identified as a suspect case of Mpox".

"The patient has been isolated in a designated hospital and is currently stable," said the ministry.

The location of the patient was not disclosed yet.

It further said that samples from the patient are being tested to confirm the presence of Mpox.

"The case is being managed in line with established protocols, and contact tracing is ongoing to identify potential sources and assess the impact within the country," according to the Health Ministry.

The development of this case is consistent with the earlier risk assessment conducted by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and there is no cause of any undue concern.

The Health Ministry reiterated that the country is fully prepared to deal with such isolated travel-related cases and has robust measures in place to manage and mitigate any potential risk.

In 2022, Mpox had a global outbreak with many countries, including India, being affected. Since then, the WHO has reported 99,176 cases and 208 deaths due to Mpox from 116 countries.

India detected a total of 30 cases, with the last case in March 2024. The government is continuously monitoring the situation. The infectious disease has spread to several countries, including those with no previous exposure.

Mpox is a viral disease that causes fevers, headaches, and muscle aches, as well as painful boils on the skin. It spreads from person to person through close, skin-to-skin contact. A total of 24,851 suspected mpox cases, including 5,549 confirmed cases and 643 deaths, have been reported across the African continent since the beginning of 2024.