India said on Monday that a mpox case involving a man in the southern state of Kerala was from the fast-spreading clade 1b variety, marking South Asia’s first recorded case from the new strain.
Health Ministry spokesperson Manisha Verma confirmed.
The patient is a 38-year-old man who had traveled from the United Arab Emirates and was admitted to the government medical college hospital in the district, Kerala authorities said.
India, the world’s most populous nation, had so far not reported a mpox case from the new strain but federal authorities had issued an advisory this month to all states to remain vigilant and be prepared to address potential cases.
The caution followed the rapid spread that prompted the World Health Organisation to declare the outbreak a global health emergency after the new offshoot, first identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo, began spreading to neighboring countries.
India had reported about 30 cases and one death from the older strain, known as clade 2, between 2022 and March this year, and one more clade 2 cases earlier this month.
