A new case of illness with the new mpox variant has been registered in England. It is the fifth confirmed case in the country in recent weeks. The person, who returned from Uganda, is under specific treatment.
Monkey pox spreads in England. Photo source: archive
Monkey pox is spreading slowly but surely in Europe. It is about the clade Ib variant, much more aggressive and dangerous, associated by the World Health Organization (WHO) with a global public health emergency.
The case was detected in the city of Leeds, and the infected person is currently receiving specialist care, the United Kingdom Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) said. It is about a person recently returned from Uganda, where community transmission of this viral variant was detected. This new case is not related, experts say, to those previously identified in the United Kingdom and which targeted people from the same family. All infected people have now fully recovered, the UKHSA said.
What is clade Ib, the new mpox variant
Clade Ib is the new variant of mpox, more contagious and more severe, which is why international authorities are worried and fear the outbreak of a pandemic. It is a different form of the virus than clade II, which spread worldwide in 2022.
This year, 19 African countries have recorded more than 48,000 suspected cases of mpox, including 1,048 deaths, according to the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a comparison, cases on the continent have increased this year by 500% compared to last year. The mpox Ib clade was also reported in Germany, Sweden, India and Thailand.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has been a public health problem in parts of Africa since the 1970s. But it wasn’t until it began spreading worldwide in 2022 that it really gained attention the authorities. At that time, however, it was about clade II. But now we are facing an even greater danger, because the new strain is much more aggressive.
How monkey pox is transmitted
Both forms of mpox can be transmitted through close physical contact, including sexual contact. And the situation is all the more serious as the vaccine against this disease offers partial immunity to the disease, not always being able to prevent severe symptoms or transmission of the infection. Therefore, the mpox epidemic continues to represent a public health emergency, the World Health Organization (WHO) decided in August. The warning is the highest form of alert issued by the WHO.
How do we avoid getting sick?
To avoid contact with the virus, health professionals recommend that we avoid physical contact with anyone who has lesions similar to those specific to monkeypox, that we do not share personal items such as cutlery, clothes or bedding with them and that we maintain good hygiene practices, including regular hand washing. In the case of infected people, isolation is recommended, and people who come into contact with it, must use appropriate protective measures, such as a mask and gloves.
