First case of latest mpox variant detected in UK: health authority

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced on Wednesday that infection with the latest mpox variant, clade 1b, has been detected in the United Kingdom for the first time.

The agency said the single case was detected in London after a person returned from Africa, adding that the risk to the wider population “remains low”.

UKHSA said the man was on holiday and returned to the UK on an overnight flight on October 21.

More than 24 hours later they developed flu-like symptoms and on October 24 they developed a rash that worsened in the following days.

On October 27, the man went to an emergency department in London, where he was swabbed, tested and sent home to isolate while awaiting results.

They are now being treated in the infectious diseases department.

According to the UKHSA, fewer than 10 people believed to have come into contact with the patient are currently being traced.

“The risk to the UK population remains low and we are working quickly to trace close contacts and reduce the risk of any potential spread,” said the agency’s chief medical adviser, Susan Hopkins.

Mpox, a viral disease associated with smallpox that causes fever, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a blistering rash, has two main subtypes—clade 1 and clade 2.

Since May 2022, clade 2 has spread worldwide, predominantly affecting gay and bisexual men in Europe and the United States. In July 2022, WHO declared an international public health emergency, the highest level of alert for the spread.

Vaccinations and increased awareness in many countries have helped limit the number of cases worldwide, and the WHO lifted the emergency in May 2023 after reporting 140 deaths out of about 87,400 cases.

But in 2024, a new two-pronged epidemic broke out primarily in the DRC.

In addition to clade 1, which mainly affects children, a new strain has emerged in the DRC, called clade 1b. Cases of clade 1b have also been reported in neighboring Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, none of which had previously detected mpox.

Isolated cases have also been identified in Germany, Sweden and Thailand.

In August, WHO declared another international emergency.

pdh/poison