India reports imported clade 1b mpox case

India has reported an imported clade 1b mpox case, making it the third country outside of Africa to report the novel clade, according to media reports that cite government and health sources.

The patient is a 38-year-old man from Malappuram district in India’s Kerala state, Asian News International (ANI) reported, citing official sources. The man had traveled from the United Arab Emirates.

A spokesperson from India’s health ministry confirmed the finding, Reuters reported today. The patient is hospitalized at a government medical college hospital in Kerala. Monitoring of 27 patient contacts, as well as of 37 airline passengers, has found no related infections, a district health officer told the news service.

In August, the first clade 1b infections were reported outside of Africa, one in Sweden and the other in Thailand. The novel clade 1b virus was detected earlier this year in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the epicenter of the complex outbreaks in the region that involve different clades, including the global clade 2 type. Clade 1b has spread beyond the DRC to four other African counties.

CDC recommends vaccination for travelers heading to clade 1 affected areas

In an update to its mpox health alert today, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned providers that early data suggests that a large proportion of clade 1b infections in adults have been linked to intimate or sexual contact. It recommends that people who anticipate sexual activity while visiting the DRC or other countries with sustained clade 1 activity—regardless of gender or sexual orientation—be vaccinated with two doses of Jynneos vaccine.

The group urged health providers to discuss sexual history and travel plans with patients, including asking if they anticipats any sexual activity during travel. The CDC added that one in three travelers will have sex with a new partner while on a trip.

Latest WHO risk assessment

In a global situation report on the mpox outbreaks in Africa yesterday the World Health Organization (WHO said clade 1b cases continue to be reported in the eastern part of the DRC and in an expanding outbreak in Burundi.  The WHO said the risk is high to the eastern DRC and neighboring countries, as well as for parts of the DRC where mpox is endemic. It said the risk is moderate for Nigeria and countries in East, West, and Central Africa, as well as for other parts of Africa and countries around the world.

For mpox in general, aside from Africa, the WHO reported rising trends for Europe and the Western Pacific regions and a declining trend in the Americas region. 

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}