Viral zoonosis infections, Monkeypox, is gradually spreading across India and so far, the country has reported 9 cases and 1 death. The Center has heightened vigilance and issued revised guidelines. The Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Virology on Friday analyzed two monkeypox cases of tourists who returned from the UAE.Also Read – Skincare Tips: Night Skincare Routine You Should Follow For Glowing And Youthful Skin – Watch Video
Analysis showed that two cases were infected with monkeypox virus strain A.2 belonging to the hMPXV-1A clade 3 lineage. Also Read – Monkeypox wreaks havoc in the US: who’s at risk, where it might spread
“Whole genome sequences obtained from skin lesions of cases 1 and 2 show 99.91 and 99.96 percent similarity with the MPXV_USA_2022_FL001 West African clade, respectively,” reads the ICMR-NIV study. Also Read – Another suspected case of monkeypox reported in Kerala, 7-year-old admitted to hospital with symptoms | 10 points
“Phylogenetic analysis showed that two cases were infected with monkeypox virus strain A.2 belonging to the hMPXV-1A lineage of clade 3,” it added.
The study also mentioned the details of two cases where a 35-year-old man and a 31-year-old man from the UAE tested positive for monkeypox. In both cases there were no traces of sexual contact.
The background of the first male revealed a history of similar lesions in contact with his friends and a suspected monkeypox case.
Symptoms of monkeypox A.2 strain
Foreign returnees from the United Arab Emirates presented with fever, myalgia and vesicular lesions in the genital area along with cervical lymphadenopathy. Oropharyngeal and nasopharyngeal swabs, EDTA blood, serum, urine and lesion samples from multiple sites were collected from both cases on the ninth post-onset day of illness.
“Case 1, 35-year-old, male, resident of UAE, developed low-grade fever and myalgia on 5 July 2022. The next day, he developed multiple vesicular rashes in the oral cavity and lips followed by a single lesion on the genitals. The lesions were umbilical with a size of 0.5 to 0.8 cm,” the study explained in the first case history.
Another case, a 32-year-old man from Dubai, UAE, traveled to his native Kerala on July 13, 2022 and tested positive for monkeypox.
“A 31-year-old man in Dubai, UAE, developed dysuria and genital swelling on July 8, 2022. The next day, he developed fever with chills, myalgia, back pain, and headache,” the study said.
According to research, on July 10, 2022, he developed multiple vesicular rashes on the genitals and both hands. The lesions progressed and later spread to the face, back, neck and forearm with cervical lymphadenopathy by July 15, 2022.
“He has no co-morbidities and denied any sexual or physical contact with a suspected or confirmed MPXV case,” it added.
How does A.2 strain differ from B.1 strain?
The A.2 strain has been detected in two travelers who returned from the UAE and this strain was detected in the US last year and is not linked to the main clusters. The current outbreak is being driven by the B.1 strain of monkeypox virus.
On 23 July, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern in light of global outbreaks in all six regions of multiple countries.
(Inputs by ANI)
