A first case of the new mpox variant has been identified in France, the health authorities announced this Monday, January 6, who want to reassure about the risk of infection for the general population but remind the preventive measures for the target audiences.
· A first case of clade 1b in Brittany
The Ministry of Labor and Health has been informed of “a first human case of mpox clade 1b in the national territory, in Brittany. The recommended management measures have been adopted,” the Ministry of Health told AFP in a statement this Monday. . statement, which confirms the information from the regional newspaper Ouest-France.
“The reported case refers to a person who has not traveled to Central Africa, an area in which the different clades of mpox viruses have been actively circulating for several months, including clade 1b,” the press release states.
“This person, however, was in contact with two people returning from central Africa, investigations are being carried out to find the origin of the contamination and identify all contact persons,” he adds.
“It is exactly the same technique (as with Covid),” explains Dr. Alain Ducardonnet, BFMTV health consultant, on the BFMTV set. We must be able to “close the circle that has been in contact with these two people” who return from Central Africa, he adds.
According to Ouest-France, the woman who tested positive for mpox clade 1b lives in Brittany and was diagnosed at the Rennes University Hospital. “He is fine,” the newspaper states without citing any source.
According to our specialist, under hospital surveillance, a patient treated for contamination with the mpox virus generally recovers in “three or four weeks.” “If treatment is necessary, there is an antiviral drug that is possible but not necessarily helpful.”
· Third case imported to Europe, “sporadic” contaminations are expected
The ministry recalls that four countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) have identified cases of clade 1b mpox since this summer.
Two imported cases were identified, the first in Sweden last August and the other in Belgium in December. Two other indigenous cases were recorded in the United Kingdom in October and in Germany in December.
The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) considers the risk of infection with Monkeypox clade 1b for the general population of France and Europe to be low, the press release states.
“But sporadic cases may occur, related to countries with more intense viral circulation. The appearance of this case in France was quickly detected thanks to the current surveillance system.”
· A more dangerous and more transmissible variant
Mpox is characterized by skin lesions, such as pustules, high fever, and muscle pain. First identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1970, the disease remained confined to a dozen African countries for a long time.
But in 2022, the WHO activates its highest level of global alert when mpox clade 2b, then called “monkeypox”, surpasses the borders of West Africa, and in particular Nigeria, causing a global pandemic that has affected many. Western countries, including France. .
Last summer, the WHO again declared a “public health emergency of international concern,” particularly due to the spread of clade 1b, which is affecting eastern DRC and neighboring countries. This new variant is more deadly, but also more transmissible than the one that caused the 2022 pandemic.
At the same time, another epidemic, caused by clade 1, affects many children in central Africa. In November, the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to maintain its highest level of alert on the epidemic, due to the increase in cases and affected countries.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is by far the country most affected by this virus, formerly called “monkeypox.” In 2024, 215 cases of mpox were reported to Public Health France, all of them clade 2b, with an average of 3 cases reported per week at the end of the year.
· The importance of vaccination
Health authorities recall the importance of vaccination for high-risk populations – including men who have homosexual relationships with multiple partners or sex workers – and as a reactive measure in cases of contact.
People with close ties to Central African countries where the mpox virus is actively circulating can also be vaccinated, authorities further indicate.
“Even people who were vaccinated against monkeypox in the 70s are protected,” underlines doctor Alain Ducardonnet on BFMTV.
If the available vaccines were designed to respond to the pandemic caused by clade 2b, “we expect that the vaccine will be effective against the clade 1b virus, even if this has not been formally demonstrated at the moment,” Olivier Schwartz, told BFMTV, from the Pasteur Institute. .com last August.
Source: BFM TV
