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Background: Of the 43 mpox cases reported by the WHO in South East Asia between January 2022 and March 2023, 24 (56%) were from India., Objectives: We describe the clinical and epidemiological profile of cases identified through India's hospital case-based surveillance., Materials and Methods: We identified mpox cases as a positive result for mpox virus polymerase-chain-reaction assay, reported through surveillance from July 1, 2022 to January 7, 2023. Cases and clinicians were interviewed, and data were abstracted from the medical records. We conducted contact tracing among family, close social networks, and healthcare personnel staff for the first 17 cases. We collected the data on sociodemographics, clinical findings, and behavior, and described data using summary statistics., Results: We identified 24 laboratory-confirmed cases (42% females, median age 30 years, range 22-38), including one death (case fatality rate 4.2%). We collected clinical and behavioural data from 21 of 24 cases. All had rashes with vesicles and genital lesions; 7 (33%) reported genital lesions as the first symptom; and 3 (13%) reported complications. Among the 21 cases, all were sexually active, none self-identified as men having sex with men (MSM), and 6 (29%) reported multiple sex partners. We identified 51 contacts of the first 17 reported cases, none reported symptoms suggestive of mpox., Conclusion: The clinical and behavioral characteristics of mpox cases in India are consistent with the global 2022 outbreak, with the exception that no cases in India reported MSM. Most were sexually active young adult economic migrants and developed genital lesions., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Indian Journal of Public Health.)

Background: As of May 4, 2020, India has reported 42,836 confirmed cases and 1,389 deaths from COVID-19. India's multipronged response included nonpharmacological interventions (NPIs) like intensive case-based surveillance, expanding testing capacity, social distancing, health promotion, and progressive travel restrictions leading to a complete halt of international and domestic movements (lockdown)., Objectives: We studied the impact of NPI on transmission dynamics of COVID-19 epidemic in India and estimated the minimum level of herd immunity required to halt it., Methods: We plotted time distribution, estimated basic (R 0 ) and time-dependent effective (R t ) reproduction numbers using software R, and calculated doubling time, the growth rate for confirmed cases from January 30 to May 4, 2020. Herd immunity was estimated using the latest R t value., Results: Time distribution showed a propagated epidemic with subexponential growth. Average growth rate, 21% in the beginning, reduced to 6% after an extended lockdown (May 3). Based on early transmission dynamics, R 0 was 2.38 (95% confidence interval [CI] =1.79-3.07). Early, unmitigated R t = 2.51 (95% CI = 2.05-3.14) (March 15) reduced to 1.28 (95% CI = 1.22-1.32) and was 1.83 (95% CI = 1.71-1.93) at the end of lockdown Phase 1 (April 14) and 2 (May 3), respectively. Similarly, average early doubling time (4.3 days) (standard deviation [SD] = 1.86) increased to 5.4 days (SD = 1.03) and 10.9 days (SD = 2.19). Estimated minimum 621 million recoveries are required to halt COVID-19 spread if R t remains below 2., Conclusion: India's early response, especially stringent lockdown, has slowed COVID-19 epidemic. Increased testing, intensive case-based surveillance and containment efforts, modulated movement restrictions while protecting the vulnerable population, and continuous monitoring of transmission dynamics should be a way forward in the absence of effective treatment, vaccine, and undetermined postinfection immunity., Competing Interests: None

Competing Interests: None