UK identifies four cases of new mpox variant, the first cluster outside Africa

LONDON (AP) — British health officials say they have identified four cases of a new, more contagious variant of mpox that first emerged in Congo. Symbolic image Photo Credit: Justin Makangara

British health officials say they have identified four new cases, More contagious version of MPox which came first CongoThis is the first time this variant has caused a cluster of disease outside Africa. Scientists said the risk to the public is low.

Authorities announced the first case of the new form of mpox in Britain last week and said the case was being treated in a London hospital, following an ongoing outbreak in countries in Africa.

This week, the UK Health Protection Agency said it had now identified three more cases who lived in the same household as the first patient. He is also now undergoing treatment in a hospital in London.

“Mpox is very contagious in households with close contacts and so it is not unexpected to see other cases in the same household,” said Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Protection Agency.

The new variant of Mpox was first detected in eastern Congo earlier this year. Scientists believe this causes mild symptoms that are hard to notice, making it easier to spread because people may not know they are infected. Its spread in Congo and elsewhere in Africa prompted the World Health Organization to declare global emergency in August.

More than 3,000 cases of another type of mpox reported in Britain outbreak of 2022 Which affected more than 100 countries.

The new variant of Mpox has also caused outbreaks in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Single cases have also been reported among travelers in Sweden, India, Germany and Thailand.

To date, approximately 43,000 suspected cases of mpox have been reported in Africa, including more than 1,000 deaths, most of them in Congo.

On Wednesday, WHO said it had allocated 899,900 vaccine doses to nine African countries battling the mumps epidemic.

,

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. AP is solely responsible for all content.