2024-10-30 17:14:00
The British Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) announced on Wednesday 30 October that it had detected a first case of infection in the country of the new variant of the MPOX virus, causing a serious epidemic in Africa.
The agency clarified this “Only confirmed human case of clade 1b MPOX” it had been detected in London and concerned one person “who had recently traveled to African countries” affected by this variant. The health authorities specify this in a press release What “the risk for the population remains low”.
Just over a week ago a case of infection with this new variant was detected in Germany. Others have been reported in Sweden and several Asian countries.
Testing and vaccination
“All contacts of this person will be offered a test and vaccination, if necessary, and will be informed about further care to be provided if they have symptoms or if the test is positive”the UKHSA continues.
He said he was working “in close collaboration” with the British Public Health Service (NHS) “and academic partners to determine the characteristics of the pathogen and further evaluate the risk to human health”.
Formerly called “monkeypox,” mpox is a viral disease that spreads from animals to humans, but is also transmitted between humans, causing fever, muscle pain and skin lesions.
A new epidemic has been hitting Africa for several months; the highest infections concern the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi and Nigeria.
Two concurrent epidemics are raging: one caused by clade 1 in Central Africa, which mainly affects children; another, from the new variant, clade 1b, which affects adults in the eastern part of the DRC and neighboring countries. At the beginning of October, a vaccination campaign was launched in the DRC, the country most affected by the virus in the world.
#case #clade #variant
It can also be transmitted between humans. The recent emergence of the clade 1b variant has raised concerns, particularly given its association with a significant outbreak in Africa.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has emphasized that, despite the recent detection, the overall risk to the public in the UK remains low. They have put measures in place to monitor and manage the situation, including offering tests and vaccinations to those who may have been in contact with the infected individual.
Public health officials are continuing to collaborate with various health bodies to gather more information about the variant and its implications. This includes assessing the transmissibility of the virus and its potential impact on public health, given the increase in reported cases across Europe and Asia.
As awareness grows, health authorities encourage the public to stay informed and to seek medical advice promptly if they exhibit symptoms consistent with MPOX.