Health Minister of Indian state of Kerala, Veena George, said on Thursday that genome sequencing will be conducted to identify the variant of the virus that the person diagnosed with monkeypox (mpox) in the state has contracted.

Mpox had been spreading mostly undetected for years in Africa, until a 2022 outbreak reached more than 70 countries.

Miners, sex workers and traders pass through the remote town of Kamituga in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has been singled out as a major infection hotspot in the mpox outbreak

A new strain of mpox is ravaging eastern Congo, particularly affecting children and pregnant women. The lack of funding, vaccines, and public awareness is hindering containment efforts.