Kerala to issue revised Mpox guidelines after reporting India's first case of new strain

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala health department announced plans to release revised guidelines for the prevention and treatment of Mpox, a decision that came in the wake of the southern state reporting the country's first confirmed case of the new strain on Monday.

The State Level Rapid Response Team (RRT) held a meeting to assess the overall situation in the state.

After the meeting, state Health Minister Veena George said instructions have been given to take necessary action if the number of cases increases.

"Isolation facilities have been set up in all districts, and monitoring has been strengthened, including at airports. Currently, testing facilities have been arranged in five laboratories. If required, testing facilities will be expanded to more labs," she said in a statement.

Although the minister, in her statement, did not mention that the first confirmed case of the Mpox strain in India was found in a patient from Kerala, she announced that revised guidelines for the prevention and effective treatment of Mpox would soon be released in the state.

She said those arriving from other countries who show symptoms should inform the health department and seek treatment.

The minister also instructed that if anyone with Mpox symptoms comes to government or private hospitals, the health department should be informed.

Earlier, official sources in New Delhi said India had reported the first case of the Mpox strain in a patient from Kerala who tested positive last week.

They said the Clade 1b strain was detected in a 38-year-old man from Malappuram district who had recently returned from the United Arab Emirates.

The patient is stable, the sources said, adding, "This was the first case of the current strain that led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare Mpox a public health emergency last month for a second time." The earlier case of Mpox that emerged in the national capital was a 26-year-old resident of Haryana's Hisar who tested positive for the previous West African Clade 2 strain earlier this month.

Since the WHO's 2022 declaration of Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, 30 cases have been reported in India.

Mpox infections are generally self-limiting, lasting between two and four weeks, and patients usually recover with supportive medical care and management.

It is transmitted through prolonged and close contact with an infected patient.

Mpox typically manifests itself with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes and may lead to a range of medical complications.