India’s mpox case ‘isolated’, not caused by new strain

India on Monday said it had verified an “isolated” mpox case but said it was not the new strain of the virus driving the ongoing global health emergency.

Mpox’s resurgence, and the detection in the Democratic Republic of Congo of a new strain, dubbed Clade 1b, prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare its highest international alert level on August 14.

India’s health ministry on Sunday had reported a suspected case in a person returning from abroad, and had placed them in isolation.

But the ministry said Monday that while it had since verified it was mpox, it was the Clade 2 strain.

“Laboratory testing has confirmed the presence of mpox virus of the West African Clade 2 in the patient,” the health ministry said in a statement.

“This case is an isolated case… and is not a part of the current public health emergency (reported by WHO) which is regarding Clade 1 of mpox.”

There have been no confirmed cases of mpox caused by the new strain of the virus in India, a country of 1.4 billion people.

“The individual, a young male who recently travelled from a country experiencing ongoing mpox transmission, is currently isolated at a designated tertiary care isolation facility,” the statement said.

“Public health measures, including contact tracing and monitoring, are actively in place to ensure the situation is contained,” it added.

“There is no indication of any widespread risk to the public at this time.”

The new Clade 1b strain was first detected among sex work in eastern DR Congo in September 2023.

Clade 1b cases have been recorded in nearby Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda — none of which had previously detected mpox.

They have also been detected in Asia and Europe. (BSS/AFP)