Mpox: UK health officials on alert as global emergency declared after cases in Sweden and Pakistan
UK health officials have said they are preparing for any potential cases of a new strain of mpox after the World Health Organisation declared outbreaks of the virus in Africa a global emergency.
Patients have been identified in Sweden and Pakistan with new strain, known as clade 1b, which first emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said there are currently no cases of the virus in the UK.
Its deputy director Dr Meera Chand said: “The risk to the UK population is currently considered low.
“However, planning is under way to prepare for any cases that we might see in the UK.
“This includes ensuring that clinicians are aware and able to recognise cases promptly, that rapid testing is available, and that protocols are developed for the safe clinical care of people who have the infection and the prevention of onward transmission.”
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is passed on through close physical contact, including during sexual contact, kissing, cuddling or holding hands.
Symptoms include a high temperature, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen glands, exhaustion, joint pain and a rash.
Before the spring of 2022, cases in the UK were usually associated with travel to or from countries where mpox is endemic, particularly in West or Central Africa.
However, in May of that year sustained transmission of the virus was identified in the UK, leading to a large outbreak, mostly in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with other men. A vaccination programme was launched in the UK in the summer of 2022 and closed the following July.
World Health Organisation director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak in DRC a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) on Wednesday.
He said: “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."
The clade 1b strain emerged last year, with 100 lab-confirmed cases also detected in countries that have not reported mpox before – Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. It is thought to have a death rate of up to 10 per cent.
The case in Sweden, which was identified on Thursday, was the first patient in Europe with the new, more infectious form of mpox.
Dr Jonas Albarnaz, a research fellow specialising in pox viruses at the Pirbright Institute, said the case of clade 1b in Sweden “is concerning for two main reasons”.
“First, this is the first clade 1 mpox virus case outside Africa. This indicates that the extent of the international spread of clade 1 outbreak in DRC might be larger than we knew yesterday.
“And second, clade 1 mpox virus is associated with a more severe disease and higher mortality rates than the clade 2 virus responsible for the international mpox outbreak in 2022.”