WHO: 2 UK mpox cases first local transmissions in Europe
The World Health Organization announced on Tuesday that two new cases of the mpox variant clade 1b have been found in the U.K. These are the first instances of local transmission in Europe and the first reported cases outside of Africa.
On Monday evening, the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced that two additional cases were linked to the first case detected in Britain last week. This raises the total number of confirmed cases in the country to three.
The World Health Organization has advised European countries to get ready for swift measures to control the new mpox variant. This strain can spread through close physical interactions, such as sexual activity and being in confined areas together.
These two instances mark the first locally spread cases outside of Africa since August 2024, when the World Health Organization classified the outbreak of the new variant as a global public health crisis, which is the most serious alert they can issue.
According to UKHSA, individuals impacted by the situation are receiving specialized treatment, and the likelihood of risk to the population in the U.K. is still considered to be minimal.
The initial case was discovered after the individual vacationed in various African nations and came back to the U.K. on October 21.
The patient began experiencing flu-like symptoms over 24 hours later and, on October 24, they started to notice a rash that became more severe in the days that followed.
Mpox, a viral illness similar to smallpox, comes in two forms: clade 1 and clade 2. Its symptoms include fever, a rash on the skin or blisters filled with pus, swollen lymph nodes, and general body pain.
In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued its first declaration of an international public health emergency due to the emergence of clade 2. This outbreak primarily impacted gay and bisexual men in Europe and the United States.
Vaccination campaigns and awareness initiatives in numerous countries contributed to reducing the global case count. As a result, the World Health Organization declared an end to the emergency in May 2023, noting 140 fatalities among approximately 87,400 reported cases.
In 2024, the Democratic Republic of Congo is facing a dual outbreak involving clade 1 and a new subtype known as clade 1b, which particularly impacts children.
The new variant has also been identified in nearby countries such as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, as well as in imported cases in Sweden, India, Thailand, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
