The Health Ministry has issued crucial guidelines for preventing the spread of mpox in India after Kerala confirmed its second case.

India has confirmed its first case of a deadlier strain of mpox, which has raised alarm among health officials around the world over the rapid pace of its spread.

The samples of the patient, who is undergoing treatment at a private hospital, have been sent for genomic sequencing at the National Institute of Virology in Maharashtra's Pune to ascertain whether it is the deadly Clade 1b strain or the previously known Clade IIb strain.

India has reported its first case with the new mpox strain that has triggered a public health emergency alert by the World Health Organization (WHO), Reuters reports. Called clade 1b, the new variant is highly-transmissible and has been linked to the mpox outbreak in Africa.

India has reported its first case of the more severe Clade Ib strain of mpox, raising global concerns due to the strain’s rapid spread. The case was detected in a 38-year-old man in Kerala who had traveled from Dubai.

Public health officials are on high alert, implementing enhanced screening measures at international airports.

The Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala said it will release revised guidelines for the prevention and treatment of Mpox after the state reported the first confirmed case of the new strain Clade 1b

India has confirmed its first case of the new, more dangerous strain of mpox known as clade 1b, health authorities said on Tuesday.

The Clade 1b strain has been detected in a 38-year-old man from Malappuram district of Kerala, who recently returned from the United Arab Emirates