(Reuters) -India became the third country outside of Africa to confirm a case of the clade Ib form of the mpox virus that has triggered global concern as it seems to be spreading quickly and little is known about the strain.
The World Health Organization declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years in August, following an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighboring countries.
The following are the countries with confirmed cases of clade Ib mpox:
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
Two strains of mpox are spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo – the endemic clade I and the new clade Ib, which spreads more easily through close contact, including sexual.
As of Sept.15, DRC has seen a total of 5,399 cases and 25 deaths in 2024. The country has confirmed 794 cases of mpox in the past four weeks, according to WHO data.
SWEDEN
Global health officials on August 15 confirmed an infection with a new strain of the mpox virus in Sweden, the first sign of its spread outside the African continent.
Swedish health officials said at a press conference that the person was infected while in Africa with the clade Ib type of mpox involved in the recent outbreak. The person is receiving treatment.
THAILAND
An mpox case reported in Thailand was confirmed to be of the clade Ib strain of the virus, the first in the country, a disease control official said on Aug. 22.
The case was first reported on Aug. 21, and Thailand had said it was a 66-year-old European man who had arrived from an African country where the disease was spreading.
INDIA
India said that an mpox case involving a traveller in the southern state of Kerala was from the fast-spreading clade 1b variety, marking the country’s first recorded case from the new strain.
The patient is a 38-year-old man who had traveled from the United Arab Emirates, Kerala authorities had said last week.
BURUNDI
As of Sept.15, Burundi recorded 564 cases of clade Ib mpox with zero deaths. The country reported 411 cases of clade Ib mpox in the past four weeks, according to WHO data.
KENYA
As of Sept.15, Kenya’s has confirmed five case of clade Ib mpox with zero deaths, according to WHO data.
RWANDA
As of Sept.15, six confirmed clade Ib mpox cases and zero deaths had cumulatively been reported by the country, according to WHO data.
UGANDA
As of Sept.15, Uganda has identified 11 cases of clade Ib mpox, with no deaths, according to WHO data. The cases are among the first confirmed mpox cases identified in the country.
(Reporting by Sneha S K, Sriparna Roy and Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Vijay Kishore)
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