Authorities in Nepal have raised concerns following the confirmation of an Mpox case last week.  

A Nepali youth, who returned from Saudi Arabia, tested positive for the viral disease on Friday, December 20. Dr. Yadu Chandra Ghimire, Director of the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division (EDCD), confirmed that the patient’s samples were collected last Thursday at the National Public Health Laboratory in Teku.  

“The results came back positive the following day,” Dr. Ghimire stated. The patient is currently receiving treatment at the Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital in Teku.  

According to Dr. Ghimire, the individual first sought medical attention at Grande International Hospital upon arriving at Tribhuvan International Airport. Doctors there suspected Mpox after observing symptoms such as a rash and fever. The patient was then transferred to the National Public Health Laboratory for further testing.  

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is caused by the orthopoxvirus and spreads primarily through close contact with infected individuals. The World Health Organization (WHO) lists common symptoms as a rash, fever, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.  

“It’s a viral disease that can cause severe illness, painful rashes, enlarged lymph nodes, and fever, potentially leaving scars,” WHO states. Transmission occurs through contact with bodily fluids, lesions, respiratory particles, and contaminated objects.  

While the risk of widespread transmission in Nepal is considered low, Dr. Ghimire emphasized the need for caution. “Contact tracing of individuals who were on the same flight as the patient will be conducted,” he said.  

The disease can also spread from animals to humans, especially in regions where the virus is carried by small mammals such as squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, dormice, and monkeys, according to WHO. While Mpox is typically found in tropical rainforests in central, east, and west Africa, human-to-human transmission has driven its global spread since May 2022.  

This is Nepal’s second confirmed Mpox case. The first case was detected in June 2023 in a 60-year-old foreign national, according to the Ministry of Health and Population.  

Globally, Mpox cases have surged, leading WHO to declare it a global health emergency earlier this year in August –twice in two years. Reuters, Africa CDC data, reported last month that over 59,000 Mpox cases and 1,164 deaths in 20 African countries have been reported this year.

While typically mild, Mpox can be fatal in rare cases.