France's health ministry confirmed its first case of a new mpox virus. The detection comes just weeks after the World Health Organization upheld its highest alert level in response to the ongoing epidemic.
A case of the clade 1b variant was confirmed in the Brittany region, western France, and "the recommended oversight measures have been implemented", the health ministry said in a statement.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox and related to smallpox, is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact.
It causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions, and can be deadly.
The WHO declared an emergency over the virus in August and renewed it on 22 November following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
WHO reports 30,000 suspected mpox cases in Africa, mainly in DRC
France's health ministry said the case concerned "a person who had not travelled to central Africa, a region where several clades variants of the virus have been circulating for several months".
"However this person was in contact with two people who returned from central Africa. Inquiries are underway to find the origin of the infection and identify all people in contact."
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Clade 1b and other mpox strains have been reported across 80 countries - 19 of them in Africa - so far this year, WHO has said previously.
The agency has warned European nations to be prepared for "rapid action" to contain the latest variant.
(with AFP)
