The UK Health Security Agency announced on Wednesday that it has detected the first case of infection with a new variant of the mpox virus, which has led to significant outbreaks in Africa.
“The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has detected a single confirmed human case of clade Ib mpox,” the agency stated in its press release, adding that “the risk to the UK population remains low.”
The agency noted that this “only confirmed human case of clade 1b mpox” was identified in London and involved an individual “who recently travelled to countries in Africa that are seeing community cases of Clade Ib mpox.”
Just over a week ago, a case of infection with this new variant was detected in Germany, with additional cases reported in Sweden and several Asian countries.
“Any contacts will be offered testing and vaccination as needed and advised on any necessary further care if they have symptoms or test positive,” the UKHSA continued.
The agency clarified that it is working “in close collaboration” with the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and academic partners to determine the characteristics of the pathogen and further assess the risk to human health.
Previously known as monkeypox, mpox is a viral disease that spreads from animals to humans but can also be transmitted between people, causing symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, and skin lesions.
In recent months, a new outbreak has been affecting Africa, with the highest infection rates reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, and Nigeria.
