Key Summary
- New recombinant mpox variant detected in UK
- Evidence of global community transmission
- Vaccination and genomic surveillance remain vital
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have found a variant of the mpox virus in an individual with a travel history to Asia.
The genomic sequencing showed the presence of clade Ib and IIb mpox, proving its recombinant nature.
Mpox is viral infection and its clade Ia and Ib mpox are no longer classified as a high-consequence infectious disease (HCID).
However, negligence could worsen the consequences.
The UK has a mpox vaccination programme for eligible groups, and they include people with multiple sexual partners, who indulge in group sex, and visit sex-on-premises venues.
Mpox can be passed on through close physical contact with mpox blisters or scabs, through touching contaminated material such as clothing, bedding or towels, or through infected people’s coughs and sneezes.
It can also be caught from infected animals such as rats, mice and squirrels.
Dr Katy Sinka, head of Sexually Transmitted Infections at UKHSA said that mpox continues to spread globally, and those eligible should get vaccinated.
As per the Guardian, the WHO recorded nearly 48,000 confirmed mpox cases worldwide, including 201 deaths, in 94 countries.
This unexpected viral spread is a potential sign of its further evolution as well as the importance of continued genomic surveillance.
UKHSA has shared its findings with relevant international partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), to support global monitoring efforts.
Clade Ib mpox has been widely circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya in recent months.
Imported cases have been detected in Canada, Sweden, India, Thailand and Germany.
The UKHSA claims that a small numbers of locally-acquired cases of clade Ib mpox have been in the USA, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal which have no connection to countries with known clade Ib mpox transmission.
This suggests there is now community transmission of clade Ib mpox globally, it added.
