India has reportedly identified a suspected case of mpox in a man who recently returned from a country battling an outbreak of the virus, according to the health ministry’s statement on Sunday.
The man is currently isolated in a hospital and said to be in stable condition. Of course, the ministry conveniently left out details about which strain of mpox he may have contracted, but we’re told they’re running tests to confirm the infection.
For those who don’t know, mpox spreads through close contact. While the virus is typically mild, let’s not pretend it can’t turn deadly in some unfortunate cases. It comes with the added joy of flu-like symptoms and painful, pus-filled lesions that cover the body, just the thing no one asked for.
The health ministry assures us that “the case is being handled according to established protocols,” and yes, they’re in the process of contact tracing to figure out where this all started and how much of a mess it might become.
India, of course, has been on high alert ever since last month when The Hindu reported that a new, more aggressive strain of mpox was wreaking havoc in Africa. And as if we needed any more bad news, the World Health Organization decided to declare this outbreak a public health emergency of international concern after discovering the variant.
