India detects 1st suspected mpox case

India reported a "suspected mpox case" on Sunday and made assurances that it had "robust measures" in place to contain the case, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

"A young male patient, who recently travelled from a country currently experiencing mpox transmission, has been identified as a suspect case of mpox," the health ministry said in a statement.

A new variant, dubbed Clade 1b, was first detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo and it prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare its highest international alert level on August 14. 

The new strain of the disease has already made its way to Asia and Europe, but up until now, there have been no confirmed cases of it in India.

"The patient has been isolated in a designated hospital and is currently stable," it said, adding the samples "are being tested to confirm the presence of mpox."

The health ministry did not disclose which country the man arrived from.

"The country is fully prepared to deal with such (an) isolated travel related case and has robust measures in place to manage and mitigate any potential risk," India's health ministry said.

Mpox vaccines arrive in Congo

Congo has reported more than 18,000 suspected cases of mpox so far, with children accounting for half of the total cases reported, according to the United Nations children's agency, UNICEF. 

Some 629 people have died, the majority of them children, according to UNICEF.

A cargo plane packed with vaccines made it to the country's capital Kinshasa on Thursday. In total, Congo was set to receive 200,000 doses this week in total, according to the Africa CDC.

Auhorities said on Saturday that a vaccination campaign against mpox in Congo is expected to begin on October 2, with workers placing priority on the three most affected provinces first.

jcg/rm (AFP, Reuters)