The 'curious case' of monkeypox genomes in India

As new studies emerge about monkeypox, experts have now said that the cases detected in Kerala may not be the super-spreader event in Spain that triggered a global outbreak.

Scientists have called it the ‘curious case’ of the Indian monkeypox genomes. According to an analysis by the scientists, genomic sequencing of the samples of India’s first two monkeypox cases has revealed the A2 strain of the virus, while the European outbreak has been caused by the B.1 lineage.

In a tweet, Dr Vinod Scaria, a scientist at CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, Delhi, said, “We might be looking at a distinct cluster of human-human transmission and possibly unrecognised for years.”

The analysis pointed out that the monkeypox could have been in the country for years, even earlier than the outbreak in Europe.

"The earliest sample in the cluster from the US is indeed from 2021 suggesting the virus has been in circulation for quite some time, and earlier than the European events," he added.

Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis – that gets transmitted to humans from animals – with symptoms similar to those seen in smallpox patients, albeit clinically less severe.

India has so far reported four cases of monkeypox, including three in Kerala and in Delhi. While three cases had a foreign travel history, the Delhi patient had attended a stag party in Himachal Pradesh. He is currently in LNJP Hospital and is on the way to recovery.

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Globally, there have been more than 21,000 monkeypox cases reported in nearly 80 countries since May, with about 75 suspected deaths in Africa, mostly in Nigeria and Congo. On Friday, Brazil and Spain reported deaths linked to monkeypox, the first reported outside Africa.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared monkeypox a global health emergency and people which left people with many questions about the virus.