India Confirms An Isolated Mpox Case, Not Linked To WHO Global Health Emergency: Centre

The Union Health Ministry announced on Monday that a single case of the mpox virus has been detected in India, linked to international travel.

The Centre clarified that this case is not connected to the global public health emergency declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) concerning the outbreak.

Testing confirmed the presence of 'clade 2' of the virus, which is consistent with 30 earlier cases reported in India since July 2022.

The patient, who was isolated over the weekend on suspicion of infection, is in stable condition with no systemic illness or comorbidities.

The Health Ministry has also directed state governments to "review public health preparedness at health facilities in both state and district levels" through senior officials.

This includes instructing healthcare workers, particularly those in skin and STD (sexually transmitted disease) clinics, on recognising symptoms, making differential diagnoses, and implementing appropriate measures if an mpox case is detected.