INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the viral infection a global public health emergency
(Photo: Shutterstock)3 min read Last Updated : Aug 21 2024 | 2:43 PM IST
Mpox infection updates: Thailand has become the latest country
to report the viral deadly mpox (monkeypox) case in a European man who arrived from Africa last week
Officials are awaiting test results to determine the strain, they said on Wednesday.
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO)
declared the viral infection a global public health emergency
Since then, mpox cases have been reported in a number of nations.There are two prominent strains of mpox infection: Clade 1b and Clade 2
The Clade 1b variant of the mpox infection is more deadly and is responsible for more than 500 deaths in the central African nation
Congo.
Philippines suspects local transmission
Philippine officials on Wednesday said that their reported case is of the mild Clade 2
There was a mpox outbreak around the world in 2022 as well
However, the new variant is turning out to be of greater concern with a fatality rate of 3.5 per cent, data from Congo showed
Its spread is also a matter of huge concern because there is little known about it till now.
Which countries have reported deadly mpox
cases?
The new variant is also harder to detect as it is targeting genitals instead of hands or chest like in earlier cases, scientists
The earlier strain was spreading mainly through sexual contact, mostly targeting gay and bisexual people
However, the new variant is also spreading rapidly through close contact and contaminated objects.
The more fatal Clade 1b strain of mpox
has also been reported in Pakistan, Sweden, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda
Pakistan has reported four cases till now.
Given the situation, India is on high alert with stringent surveillance measures in place
The Health Ministry is closely monitoring developments, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also actively overseeing the preparations,
