First case of new killer mpox strain detected in UK – as officials isolate patient and race to trace contacts

THE UK has reported its first case of a new potentially more contagious strain of mpox.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said a single case of the mpox virus variant clade 1b was detected in London.

Reuters

The unnamed patient, who tested positive for the mutant virus yesterday (October 29), caught the bug in an African country affected by the outbreak.

The patient has since been transferred to the Royal Free Hospital High Consequence Infectious Diseases unit.

Health officials are now racing to find close contacts of the person, who landed back in the UK on October 21.

The UK Health Security Agency said the risk to the wider population “remains low”.

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a viral infection that causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions.

The new clade 1b variant started spreading rapidly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DCR) last year.

Since then, it has spread internationally, reaching as far afield as Germany, Sweden, Thailand and India,

Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, said: “The risk to the UK population remains low, and we are working rapidly to trace close contacts and reduce the risk of any potential spread.

“In accordance with established protocols, investigations are underway to learn how the individual acquired the infection and to assess whether there are any further associated cases.”