Malappuram: Health Minister Veena George said genome sequencing will be done to determine the variant of Mpox reported in a native of Edavanna in Malappuram. The minister said the patient's condition was stable, and efforts are underway to prevent the spread of the disease.

"Genome sequencing will help us determine the variant. If it is the Clade IIb variant, the infectivity is less compared to Clade Ib, which is found in Africa," Minister George said after a high-level meeting in Malappuram to evaluate the MPox and Nipah situation in the district.

The minister said the government had traced 43 persons who sat in three rows in front and rear of the patient's seat on the flight from Dubai. In Kerala, the patient's contact list has 23 persons.

Nipah update
The lab results of 37 people on the contact list of a Nipah victim in Malappuram have turned negative, including one on Thursday. One more person tested negative for Nipah on Thursday. "Two more added to the contact list. Currently, there are 268 persons in the contact list, of whom 177 are primary contacts. There are 134 in the high-risk category. Two persons were admitted to the Manjeri Medical College Hospital with the symptoms.