Kozhikode: Amid heightened surveillance in Malappuram district due to a recent Nipah infection case, a man from Othayi in Edavanna panchayat has been admitted to Manjeri Government Medical College Hospital with symptoms suggestive of Mpox, a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus. The 38-year-old man had recently returned from Dubai and sought medical help for fever and skin rashes at the dermatology outpatient department. Doctors, suspecting Mpox due to his symptoms and travel history, have hospitalized him for observation. Samples have been sent for testing to the virology lab at Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospital, and results are expected by Wednesday evening. Health Minister Veena George mentioned that the man had isolated himself upon suspicion of Mpox upon returning home. The World Health Organization declared Mpox a public health emergency due to a new strain known as Clade 1, which has been spreading in Africa. So far, there have been no confirmed cases of this new strain in India.As part of the ongoing public health emergency reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the focus is on Clade 1 of Mpox. Mpox, caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), is a double-stranded DNA virus in the Orthopoxvirus genus within the Poxviridae family. There are two main clades of the virus: Clade I (with subclades 1a and 1b) and Clade 2 (subclades 2a and 2b). Mpox can spread through close contact with infected individuals, contaminated items, or infected animals. Common symptoms include rashes, fever, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes.