Great Britain. The first case of the new mpox clade 1b variant was detected

“The first case of the new variant of the mpox virus has been detected in Great Britain,” the Guardian newspaper reported. The person infected with mpox returned to the UK on October 21 after traveling to countries affected by the disease in Africa.

She soon developed flu-like symptoms, followed by a rash. On October 27, after a visit to the emergency department, a swab was performed, which confirmed that the person was infected with the new mpox variant, clade 1b.

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Currently, the patient is in the high-risk infectious diseases ward at the Royal Free Hospital in London. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and other organizations are reviewing who the infected person has come into contact with, and their immediate circle will be offered mpox tests, vaccinations and health care advice if they are found to be infected with clade 1b.

“The risk to the UK population remains low and we are working on close contact tracing and reducing the potential risk of spread,” said Prof. Susan Hopkins, UKHSA Chief Medical Advisor.

In August World Health Organization (WHO) has declared mpox a global public health threat. This is the second time in the last two years that this has happened.

The current outbreak, caused by a clade 1b virus variant, began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and has spread to neighboring countries and other countries.

Last month Great Britain ordered over 150,000 doses of the mpox vaccine to increase preparedness for this threat.

Mpox is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by a virus transmitted through close contact. It is characterized by flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache and muscle pain. Pus-filled skin lesions resembling pustules also occur, making it difficult to distinguish from chickenpox.