[Source: BBC]
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.
According to media reports, the strain has been detected in a 38-year-old man from the southern state of Kerala who returned from Dubai recently.
Mpox, previously known as monkey pox, is a contagious virus that can cause painful skin lesions.
The WHO declared mpox, which used to be called monkeypox, a public health emergency in Africa in August.
Since then, the more dangerous variant of the virus has spread to countries outside the African continent, including Sweden, Thailand and Pakistan.
