"mpox"

Spain has recorded the first known case of human-to-human transmission of mpox clade 1b outside Africa. The infection was confirmed in a vaccinated patient with no travel history, raising fresh public health concerns.

During an online media briefing on Thursday evening, Ngashi Ngongo, chief of staff and head of the Executive Office at Africa CDC, said that the African continent has reported 24,272 mpox cases since the start of the year.

The two men returned to Kerala from UAE recently. The man from Wayanad district was initially found to be infected, and the second person, from Kannur, tested positive later

According to officials, the patient arrived in Kerala a few days ago from abroad and after falling sick, was first admitted to a private hospital

In a letter to states and union territories on Monday, Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra urged them to prevent unnecessary panic among the public. He stated, "No new cases of Mpox have been reported in India during the current outbreak, and none of the samples from suspected cases have tested positive," while stressing the importance of remaining vigilant.

In 2022, Mpox had a global outbreak with many countries, including India, being affected. Since then, the WHO has reported 99,176 cases and 208 deaths due to Mpox from 116 countries.

The six-month plan, from September 2024 to February 2025, has an estimated budget of nearly $600 million. Of this, 55% is allocated for mpox response in affected countries, while the remaining 45% is designated for operational and technical support through partner organizations, according to Xinhua news agency.

MOH called on travellers to follow the health advisories at air checkpoints and take the necessary personal precautions to avoid infection, Xinhua news agency reported

Thailand and Sweden are the first countries outside Africa to report Mpox cases of the Clade 1b variant, following the World Health Organization's recent global health emergency declaration. Thai health authorities discovered that the patient had traveled to Congo.

Mpox is a viral zoonotic disease mainly found in tropical rainforest regions of Central and West Africa, with occasional cases elsewhere. An ongoing outbreak in Africa has led to over 14,000 cases and 524 deaths, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it a global health emergency.

The man who tested positive for Mpox was from Mardan, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan

Sweden's Public Health Agency announced on Thursday that this is the first confirmed case of the mpox variant outside Africa. State epidemiologist Magnus Gisslen stated that the patient contracted the infection while visiting a region in Africa where the mpox Clade I is spreading, according to Xinhua news agency.

With Hyderabad being a popular destination for African students pursuing higher education, public awareness about the risk of mpox is crucial. The WHO declared mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) due to a significant surge in infections across Africa. In 2024 alone, 17,500 mpox cases were reported, resulting in 460 deaths in Africa.

The WHO has declared mpox a global health emergency due to its rapid spread in Africa, particularly in Congo, where over 14,000 cases and 524 deaths have occurred. The virus's new strain may be more transmissible. WHO urges global action, with a focus on vaccines and resources to control the outbreak.

The Mpox virus spreads mainly through close physical contact, causing a disease with symptoms resembling smallpox but milder.

This amounts to an increase of 26 per cent compared to cases in October, the WHO said in its latest monthly update.

During the past three months, the number of reported new cases dropped by almost 90 per cent compared to the previous three months, according to data published by the WHO.

Pakistan Health Ministry announced that the National Institute of Health confirmed the detection the previous day, reports Xinhua news agency.