UK Health Security Agency reports fourth UK case of more contagious mpox strain
by Kathryn Riddell, Storm Newton PA Health Reporter · ChronicleLiveA new case of a more transmissible strain of mpox has been confirmed in the UK, marking the fourth instance of this particular variant.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has reassured that the risk to the general public "remains low".
This latest patient had close contact with the first identified UK case from late October and is now under specialist treatment at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London. Having been in isolation since their exposure, no additional contact tracing is necessary.
Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at UKHSA, commented: "Mpox is very infectious in households with close contact and so it is not unexpected to see further cases within the same household."
She added: "The overall risk to the UK population remains low."
The agency continues to work closely with partners to ensure all contacts of the cases are properly identified and managed to minimise any further transmission. The initial case of Clade Ib mpox was reported in an individual who had recently returned from Africa, developing symptoms shortly after arriving in the UK on October 21.
Following flu-like symptoms, the patient developed a rash on October 24, which intensified over subsequent days. Two additional cases, also within the same household, were reported on November 4, with those patients receiving care at the same London facility.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed the first locally transmitted mpox Clade 1b cases in Europe, marking a significant development since the public health emergency was declared in August due to the strain's rapid spread. Dr Hans Henri P Kluge, WHO’s regional director for Europe, commented: "The overall risk to the general population in the UK and wider remains low, but local transmission of mpox clade Ib should be the impetus for health systems across our region to heighten their surveillance measures and be prepared for rapid contact tracing of suspected and confirmed cases.
"People who suspect they may be infected must also be encouraged to come forward for testing, care and preventing further transmission, free from stigma and discrimination."
Dr Kluge praised the UK's response, saying: "I commend the United Kingdom for its prompt action to detect and control this cluster, clear and transparent communication to ensure timely reporting, and data sharing."
Mpox is known to spread through direct contact with rash, skin lesions or scabs, including during intimate contact, as well as through bodily fluids, contaminated materials like bedding or towels and possibly through close face-to-face interactions such as talking, breathing, coughing or sneezing.
Symptoms of the disease include a skin rash with blisters, spots or ulcers that can appear anywhere on the body, fever, headache, backache and muscle aches. A rash usually appears one to five days after a fever, headache and other symptoms.
Clade Ib mpox has been widely circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in recent months and there have been cases reported in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Sweden, India and Germany. A report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that there had been more than 40,000 mpox cases linked to almost 1,000 deaths in Africa as of the end of September 2024, with Clades Ia, Ib and II circulating in the region.
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