India has detected its first case of the virulent mpox virus strain, according to a government official, as the latest global health emergency reaches the world’s most-populous nation.
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The patient, who is from Kerala, has tested positive for the clade Ib strain, the official said who asked not to be identified as the information has not been released formally by the health ministry.
The mutated strain was detected in a 38-year-old man from Kerala’s Malappuram district who had recently travelled from the United Arab Emirates, local news wire PTI reported on Monday. Thailand was the first in Asia to detect the new fast-spreading strain last month after a European male arrived in Bangkok from Africa.
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Asian countries from China to Pakistan have been strengthening surveillance for weeks while Singapore has set up airport temperature and visual screenings as well as mandated a three-week quarantine at a designated facility.
Indian public health authorities have also been on alert and gearing up to tackle the pathogen in the densely-packed country where commuters in public transport often travel cheek by jowl. International airports such as Bengaluru have boosted vigilance by sending passengers through thermal scanners.