HomeWorldMpox: an imported case of the new variant identified for the first...

Mpox: an imported case of the new variant identified for the first time in the United Kingdom

A new case of Mpox clade “1-b” was identified this Wednesday, October 30, by the British health authorities. This is one of the rare infections with this worrying strain outside of Africa.

The British Health Security Agency announced this Wednesday, October 30, that it had detected a first case of infection with the new variant of the mpox virus, causing a major epidemic in Africa.

The agency indicated that this “only confirmed human case of clade 1b mpox” was detected in London and referred to a person “who had recently traveled to African countries” affected by this variant.

The health authorities specify in a press release that “the risk to the population remains low.”

A little over a week ago, a case of infection with this new variant was detected in Germany. Others have been reported in Sweden and several Asian countries.

“All contacts (of this person, editor’s note) will be offered a test and a vaccine if necessary and will be informed of the additional care that will be provided if they develop symptoms or if the test is positive,” continues the safety agency British Health Authority (UKHSA).

It said it was working “closely” with the British Public Health Service (NHS) “and academic partners to determine the characteristics of the pathogen and further assess the risk to human health.”

Cases in Africa and rare events in Europe

Formerly called monkeypox, mpox is a viral disease that is transmitted from animals to humans, but it also spreads between humans and causes fever, muscle pain, and skin lesions.

For several months, a new epidemic has affected Africa, with the highest infection figures in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi and Nigeria.

Two simultaneous epidemics are occurring, one caused by clade 1 in Central Africa, which mainly affects children, and another by the new variant, clade 1b, which affects adults in another region, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and in neighboring countries.

A vaccination campaign was launched in early October in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the country most affected by the virus in the world.

Author: traditional knowledge with afp
Source: BFM TV

Stay Connected
16,985FansLike
2,458FollowersFollow
61,453SubscribersSubscribe
Must Read
Related News

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here