India's Second Mpox Case Detected in Kerala, Patient Isolated

India’s second case of monkeypox or Mpox was confirmed from Kerala on Wednesday. The state has said that the patient was isolated and is being treated according to the established medical protocols.

Kerala health minister Veena George said that a 38-year-old man from Malappuram with a travel history of returning from the United Arab Emirates tested positive. When he noticed the symptoms, the man isolated himself from his family and was hospitalized subsequently at the Manjeri Medical College, the minister said.

George, in a Facebook post, urged the public to seek treatment and inform the health department upon showing any of the known symptoms of Mpox.

India reported the first case of Mpox nine days ago when a young man, who had traveled from western Africa, tested positive in Delhi. At present, he is stable and has been isolated to prevent a spread.

The government has said that there is no indication of widespread risk to the public at this time, explaining that testing had confirmed the presence of 'clade 2' of the virus in the country, and that this particular strain is "similar to 30 cases reported earlier in India, from July 2022 onwards".

The government has reassured the public that there is no widespread risk at this time. Testing has confirmed the presence of 'clade 2' of the virus, a strain that is similar to 30 cases previously reported in India since July 2022. This strain is distinct from 'clade 1', which was the subject of the World Health Organization’s recent public health emergency declaration.

A ‘clade’ refers to a biological grouping that includes all descendants of a common ancestor, in this case, a specific strain of the Mpox virus.

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