Another case of the new strain of mpox has been detected in the UK as an outbreak of the disease continues to be monitored by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Located in East Sussex, it is the sixth case of ‘clade 1’ mpox detected in the UK since October 2024.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says the latest case is not linked to any other cases and that the infected individual is under specialist care. They had recently returned from Uganda.
Dr Meera Chand, deputy director at UKHSA, said: “It is thanks to clinicians rapidly recognising the symptoms and the work of our specialist laboratory that we have been able to detect this new case.
“The risk to the UK population remains low following this sixth case, and we are working rapidly to trace close contacts and reduce the risk of any potential spread.”
A public health emergency declared by the health body in 2024 remains in place over a new outbreak of mpox in some African nations, with many cases now reported outside of the continent.
Formerly known as monkeypox, the infection continues to be on the rise in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which accounts for the majority of cases in Africa.
More than 17,400 cases have now been confirmed across the continent, with the WHO saying the outbreak is of “international concern”. There have also been 87 reported deaths.
WHO attributes the outbreak to two main strains – clade 1a and clade I1. These are both assessed as high risk. A more moderate risk strain, clade 2, is also present in many other countries.
The public health emergency was declared by the group’s director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The health body has now launched a ‘global strategic preparedness and response plan’ which aims to prevent the spread of the new strain.
There have also been confirmed cases of the strain in India, Thailand, the US, Canada and China, although it is not thought to be spreading in any nation.
Dr Tedros said last year: “The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying.
“On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”
The organisation is working with nations worldwide to coordinate accelerated vaccine access and containment measures. They say an initial sum of $15m (£12m) will be required for an effective response.
Since 2022, cases of mpox have been reported to WHO from 127 countries across the world. Most of these countries continue to report the more moderate clade II strains.
