China disease control agency detects cluster of new mpox strain

The new strain has been spreading across several Africa countries. Children and adolescents have been most affected in the outbreak that’s now spreading in Africa.

China has detected the new mutated strain of the mpox virus, as the pathogen spreads to more geographies after the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak in Africa a new global health emergency last year.

China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday it has found a cluster of a new mpox strain, known as clade Ib, with the source being traced back to a foreign national who has traveled to and lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Another four cases have also been found among people who had close contact with the source, said China’s CDC, without identifying the location of the outbreak. Authorities in Zhejiang, Guangdong, Beijing, Tianjin and other provinces have launched a joint prevention and control mechanism to carry out epidemic tracing, risk investigation, case diagnosis and treatment.

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The patients’ symptoms are mild, including rash and herpes, the CDC said. The patients and others who are at risk of infection are receiving medical treatment or are under observation.

The new strain has been spreading across several Africa countries. Children and adolescents have been most affected in the outbreak that’s now spreading in Africa.

Infections have spilled over from Africa to other continents, including Europe and North America. In Asia, it has also been detected in countries like Thailand and India.

Unlike an earlier milder strain that erupted in 2022 and spread primarily through men who have sex with men, the current variant is spreading through all kinds of sexual activity and other close physical contact.

Asian countries from China to Indian and Pakistan — many of which are densely populated — have beefed up surveillance of infections. Travelers from affected countries were being asked to self-report symptoms and hospitals were on alert for suspected cases.

After the WHO raised the alert levels on mpox, China has begun asking travelers from affected regions, those who have been in contact with mpox patients or individuals experiencing symptoms to self-report to customs officials upon entry, where they may undergo testing.

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