India has confirmed its first case of mpox involving the fast-spreading clade 1b variant, marking the first recorded instance of the new strain in South Asia. The case, reported in Kerala, involves a 38-year-old man who had recently travelled from the United Arab Emirates.

The country's Health Ministry spokesperson, Manisha Verma, confirmed the detection of the strain, following reports from the Malappuram district last week. "The case was identified as clade 1," Verma stated after ANI cited official sources.

The patient is currently being treated at a government medical college hospital in Malappuram. Authorities are monitoring 29 close contacts, including friends and family, as well as 37 passengers who were on the same flight. “None have shown symptoms of mpox so far,” said Dr Shubin C, Malappuram district’s nodal officer.

This marks the first case of the clade 1b strain in India, although the country had previously reported around 30 cases and one death from the older clade 2 strain between 2022 and March 2023, with one additional case earlier this month.

In response to the growing threat of the new strain, which was first identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo, India's federal authorities issued advisories urging all states to remain vigilant.

The rapid spread of the virus, which prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global health emergency, has raised concerns. Both clade 1, the endemic variant, and the newer clade 1b strain, are now circulating in Congo.

Mpox, primarily transmitted through close physical contact, typically presents flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. While generally mild, it can sometimes be fatal. Unlike previous pandemics such as COVID-19, there is no evidence to suggest that mpox spreads easily through airborne transmission.

(With inputs from Reuters)