The Union health ministry on Sunday said there is a suspected case of mpox (monkeypox) reported from one of the designated hospitals to manage the disease in the country. Further investigations are currently underway to confirm the diagnosis in a man who has a history of travel to one of the affected African countries.

“A young male patient, who recently travelled from a country currently experiencing Mpox (monkeypox) transmission, has been identified as a suspect case of Mpox. The patient has been isolated in a designated hospital and is currently stable,” read the health ministry statement.

Mpox is a viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus.

“Samples from the patient are being tested to confirm the presence of Mpox. The case is being managed in line with established protocols, and contact tracing is ongoing to identify potential sources and assess the impact within the country,” said the health ministry.

On August 14, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, which is twice in two years. The first announcement of the global outbreak was made in 2022 when cases started getting reported from world over.

The infection can spread between people, mainly through close contact, and occasionally from the environment to people via things and surfaces that have been touched by a person with mpox. In settings where the monkeypox virus is present among some wild animals, it can also be transmitted from infected animals to people who have contact with them.

Most people recover from monkeypox within several weeks and the disease has only been fatal in rare cases. Symptoms include lesions, eruptions on the face, palms or soles, scabs, fever, muscle ache and chills.

The incubation period (interval from infection to onset of symptoms) is usually from 6 to 13 days but can range from 5 to 21 days, with communicability of 1-2 days before the rash to until all the scabs fall off or get subsided.

Virus is killed by proper chlorination.

Mpox is usually a self-limiting disease with symptoms lasting from 2-4 weeks. Severe cases occur more commonly among children and are related to extent of virus exposure, patient health status and nature of complication.

There is no specific treatment for the disease; it is largely supportive that includes patient isolation; protection of compromised skin and mucous membranes; rehydration therapy and nutritional support; antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections if they develop; and monitoring and treatment of complications.

Preventive measures include practicing good hand hygiene— washing hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer— after contact with infected animals or humans; and importantly using appropriate personal protective equipment when caring for patients.

“The development of this case is consistent with the earlier risk assessment conducted by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and there is no cause of any undue concern. The country is fully prepared to deal with such isolated travel related cases and has robust measures in place to manage and mitigate any potential risk,” said the health ministry.