Health Minister of Indian state of Kerala, Veena George, said on Thursday that genome sequencing will be conducted to identify the variant of the virus that the person diagnosed with monkeypox (mpox) in the state has contracted.
Over a month after being declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation for the second time, mpox has entered India, the health body has granted its first authorisation for use of a vaccine against the infection in adults, and cases have gone up in parts of the African continent, particularly Congo which has been at the epicentre of an outbreak with 2,912 new mpox cases and 14 new deaths recorded in the last one week,
The total number of cases in Congo is over 6,100 with more than 730 deaths since the beginning of the year.
India's Kerala To Conduct Genome Sequencing: Health Minister of Indian state of Kerala, Veena George, said on Thursday that genome sequencing will be conducted to identify the variant of the virus that the person diagnosed with monkeypox (mpox) in the state has contracted. A day after a 38-year-old man in Malappuram district was confirmed to have contracted Mpox, the minister also said that all activities in accordance with the current protocol for disease prevention had been carried out.
All Recent Contacts Of Kerala Case Traced: The Kerala health minister said that the 2B variant of the Mpox virus has a lower potential for spread. However, the 1B variant of the virus, found in Africa, has a higher potential for spread. All individuals who had contact with the Mpox patient have been traced, the minister added, assuring that there is no need for concern regarding the disease. Kerala reported a confirmed case of Mpox on Wednesday, marking the second known case of infection in the country following the recent global outbreak of the disease. Last week, India's first case of mpox emerged in Delhi when a 26-year-old resident from Haryana's Hisar, tested positive for the virus and was admitted to the hospital.
WHO Nod To Vaccine: WHO last week said it has granted its first authorisation for use of a vaccine against mpox in adults, calling it an important step toward fighting the disease in Africa. The approval of the vaccine made by Bavarian Nordic A/S means that donors like vaccines alliance Gavi and UNICEF can buy it. But supplies are limited because there's only a single manufacturer, according to information mentioned in a news agency Associated Press report. Congo is expected to start its vaccination campaign in the first week of October, with some 1,65,000 so far being delivered and hundreds of thousands more pledged by European countries.
Rwanda Starts Vaccination: Rwanda has started a vaccination campaign against mpox with 1,000 doses of the vaccine it obtained from Nigeria under an agreement between the two countries, the African health agency said on Thursday. The vaccination drive started on Tuesday targeting seven districts with “high risk populations” who neighbour Congo, Dr. Nicaise Ndembi from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said. Nigeria donated the 1,000 doses to Rwanda from an allotment of 10,000 it had received from the United States.
Gold Mining Town New Epicentre In Congo: More than 6,000 people officials suspect have contracted the disease in the South Kivu province of Congo, the epicentre of the world's latest mpox outbreak. A new strain of the virus is spreading, largely through skin-to-skin contact, including but not limited to sex. A lack of funds, vaccines and information is making it difficult to stem the spread, according to alarmed disease experts. Health officials have reportedly zeroed in on the remote gold mining town of Kamituga of some 3,00,000 people that attracts miners, sex workers and traders who are constantly on the move. Cases from other parts of eastern Congo can be traced back here, officials cited in an AP report said, with the first originating in the nightclub scene.