Two more cases of monkeypox have been detected in the UK, bringing the total number of cases to three. It is about infections with the new mpox variant, clade Ib, and the patients are among the contacts of the first case, announced the British Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Monkey pox spreads in Europe. Photo source: archive
The government agency stated that the risk to the population remains low.
Clade Ib is a new form of the virus associated with an international health emergency, declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) in August. “Mpox is a highly contagious disease in households with close contact and therefore it is not unexpected to see other cases in the same household,” said UKHSA representatives.
The British Agency for Health Security specified last week that the first case, confirmed in a patient who recently traveled to the affected countries in Africa, was detected in London. The patient was transferred to a specialist hospital, as were the other two patients. As for health workers, they are equipped and ready to respond to any other confirmed cases, the British authorities also announced.
The new mpox strain, much more aggressive. What is clade Ib
This year, according to the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa), 19 African countries have recorded more than 48,000 suspected cases of mpox, including 1,048 deaths. The number of cases on this continent has increased by 500% compared to last year. Clade Ib of mpox has also been reported in Germany, Sweden, India and Thailand. It is a different form of the virus compared to clade II, which spread worldwide in 2022, especially among men who have sex with people of the same sex. Mpox is a viral infection that generally causes flu-like symptoms and purulent lesions. Although the symptoms are usually mild, the disease can kill. Clade Ib is considered a more severe variant compared to clade II. Both forms can be transmitted through close physical contact, including sexual contact. This disease has been known for a long time, but the current epidemics are related to the emergence of a new strain, clade 1b, considered more dangerous, with an estimated mortality rate of 3.6%.
People traveling to Africa most at risk of getting sick
The countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area must prepare for an increase in mpox cases, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) announced in August. The agency “recommends that health authorities maintain a high level of preparedness planning to enable rapid detection and response to any new cases,” ECDC said in a statement.
The first cases outside of Africa were detected in the summer in Sweden and Pakistan, and the likelihood of infection for people from Europe traveling to affected areas and having close contact with affected communities “is high,” the ECDC warned in its statement.
ECDC considers it highly likely that European countries will experience an increase in imported Class 1 cases currently circulating in Africa. “Due to the close links between Europe and Africa, we have to prepare for a higher number of imported Class 1 cases,” pointed out Pamela Rendi-Wagner, director of ECDC.
The sudden increase in cases related to this epidemic, especially in Central Africa, pushed the World Health Organization (WHO) to trigger the highest international alert level in the summer. In total, 38,465 cases of this disease, formerly known as monkeypox, have been recorded in 16 African countries since January 2022, and 1,456 deaths. There was also a 160 percent increase in the number of cases in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to data released last week by the African Union’s health agency, the Africa CDC.
What are the symptoms of mpox
Mpox symptoms usually appear 6-13 days (up to 21 days) after infection. Clinical manifestations of the disease include:
- general, febrile symptoms (fever, headache, chills, physical weakness, swollen lymph nodes);
- distinct rash on the skin and sores on the mucous membrane (for example, in the mouth, nose, throat or digestive tract);
- back pain and muscle pain.
How monkey pox is transmitted
- close contact with the skin lesions of an infected person;
- breathing during prolonged face-to-face contact;
- contact with infected surfaces.
