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Canada reports its first case of Clad I mpox, here’s what you need to know about the strain
PHAC reported its first case of clade I mpox. The individual sought medical care for mpox symptoms in Canada shortly after returning and is currently isolated. WHO declared Mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years in August after the spread of the new variant of the virus, Clade IB. Read on to know more about the variants.
Canada reports first case of cladistic eye pox
Photo: iStock
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has confirmed the first case of clade I MPOX in the country. The case is travel-related involving a person linked to the ongoing outbreak of cladistic eye pox in Central and East Africa.
PHAC said in a statement that the individual sought medical care for mpox symptoms in Canada shortly after returning and is currently isolated. According to PHAC, a public health investigation, including contact tracing, is ongoing.
“PHAC is working closely with public health officials in Manitoba,” the agency said. The National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) informed the province on November 22 that the sample tested positive for Mpox clade IB.
While clade II monkeypox has been present in Canada since 2022, this is the first confirmed case of clade I monkeypox in the country. PHAC stressed that the risk to the general population is low at this time.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It is a zoonotic disease and was first found in monkeys. Hence it was named monkeypox. MPox usually causes a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, and fever. While most people recover from the condition, some may become very ill.
This virus spreads from one person to another through touch, kissing or sex. However, from animals, it is usually spread by hunting, skinning, or cooking them. It can also be spread through contaminated bedsheets, clothing or needles and from infected pregnant mothers to their unborn babies.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared mumps a global public health emergency for the second time in two years in August after a new variant of the virus, called clade IB, emerged. This strain spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries.
There are two types of MPOX; Clade I and Clade II. Experts say the Clade I type of mpox virus has a mortality rate of about 10%. Infections in the 2022–2023 outbreak were from clade II, or more specifically, clade IIb. Infection with clade IIb is rarely fatal. More than 99% of people with this type of disease have a chance of survival.
However, clade I infection can be fatal. Clade I Mpox is causing frequent outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and several other African countries.
In September, India reported its first case of mPox clade 1b strain in Malappuram, Kerala. According to reports, the patient was a 38-year-old man who had recently arrived from the UAE.
(with inputs from agencies)
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