New case of Clade Ib mpox detected in England

20 January 2025, 13:42 | Updated: 20 January 2025, 18:04

A new case of the Clade Ib strain of mpox has been detected in England, the UK Health Security Agency has said.

It was detected in East Sussex and the individual is now under the specialist care of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.

The patient had recently returned from Uganda, where there is currently community transmission of Clade Ib mpox, also known as monkeypox.

It is the sixth case of the strain confirmed in England since October 2024 but the latest infection has no links to the previous cases identified in England.

UKHSA Deputy Director, Dr Meera Chand, said the risk to the UK population "remains low".

The agency said on Monday it was checking the infected individual's close contacts, with the help of partner organisations.

Contacts will be offered testing and vaccination where needed to prevent the infection from spreading, the UKHSA said, and they will be told what, if any, further care is needed if they have symptoms or test positive.

Clade Ib mpox has been found in several countries in Africa in recent months and imported cases have been detected in several countries including Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Sweden and the US.

"Extensive planning" has been carried out so healthcare professionals are equipped and ready to respond to any further confirmed cases, the agency said.

The Clade Ib variant is a new form of the virus, which was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in August.

Mpox, including the Clade 1b strain, is usually passed on by close physical contact, contact with infected animals or sexual transmission.

A skin rash or pus-filled lesions, which can last between two to four weeks, are common symptoms of mpox, which can also cause fever, headaches, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.

However, in some people the illness can be severe or lead to complications and even death, the WHO has warned.

Newborn babies, children, people who are pregnant, and people with underlying immune deficiencies, such as from advanced HIV, may be at higher risk of more serious mpox disease and death, the organisation said.

The Clade 1b strain of mpox was discovered last year and traced to a mining town in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Read more:
How is new mpox strain different to others?
First Clade lb case found in London
Germany discovers first case of new mpox variant

Scientists from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declared a public health emergency over the new strain in August.

Between January 2022 and last November, 263 lab-confirmed deaths from mpox have been recorded by WHO across 82 countries which have seen more than 117,000 cases.

Almost 17,500 cases have been detected across 25 African countries, mostly in DRC, where 9,513 have been detected since the start of last year. A total of 87 people have died.

(c) Sky News 2025: New case of Clade Ib mpox detected in England