New Delhi, Sep 9 (IANS) A suspected patient of ampox who was kept in isolation has tested positive for the virus. However, it is a matter of relief that he is suffering from clade-2 of ampox, which spread in 2022, and not clade-1, which has now taken the form of an epidemic and is affecting African countries a lot.
In a statement on Monday, the Union Health Ministry said that a youth who had returned from an end-of-life country and was identified as a suspect case of ampox, “has been confirmed to be infected by laboratory tests for West African Clade-2 of ampox.”
The ministry said this is the 30th case of clade-2 infection in the country since July 2022 and is “not linked to the current public health emergency (reported by WHO)”. The WHO has declared clade-1 of ampox as a public health emergency.
The ministry has still not disclosed where the patient is admitted and which state he is from. It said that he is currently kept in isolation in a tertiary hospital. His condition is stable.
Meanwhile, experts say that there is no need to panic about ampox. Since the infection is spreading only through sex or any internal physical contact, it will not become a big problem like COVID-19.
It causes fever and rashes appear on the body. This disease gets cured on its own in four weeks. During this period, it is advisable to avoid close contact with the infected person and avoid touching the items used by him.
–IANS
AKJ/ABM