Another case of the new deadly mpox strain has been detected in the UK, health officials confirmed today.
The clade 1b mutation, which experts have called ‘the most dangerous one so far’ kills one in ten of those infected and is believed to be behind a wave of miscarriages.
It takes the total number of confirmed cases now in Britain to four. All are household contacts of the first case.
Officials don’t yet know how the unidentified first patient became infected with the strain — though skin-to-skin contact is suspected.
They had travelled back to the UK from a holiday in Africa on an overnight flight on October 21 before developing symptoms a day later.
The latest patient is under specialist care at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London.
However, health chiefs say they still consider the threat clade 1b poses to the public as ‘low’.
It takes the total number of confirmed cases now in Britain to four. All are household contacts of the first case
The latest patient is under specialist care at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London
Vials of single doses of the Jynneos vaccine for mpox are seen from a cooler at a vaccinations site in Brooklyn, New York on August 29, 2022 as the disease swept through the United States
Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at UKHSA, said: ‘Mpox is very infectious in households with close contact and so it is not unexpected to see further cases within the same household.
‘The overall risk to the UK population remains low.
‘We are working with partners to make sure all contacts of the cases are identified and contacted to reduce the risk of further spread.’
The UKHSA said all contacts will be offered testing and vaccination as needed and advised on any necessary further care if they have symptoms or test positive.
The first case was detected after the unidentified patient developed flu-like symptoms 24 hours later, followed by a rash, and attended A&E on October 27 where they were tested for mpox.
They were then transferred to a high-level isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in North London — the same facility where imported cases of Ebola were treated in 2015.
On Monday, a officials confirmed a further two patients were being treated at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust with the strain.
A global outbreak of mpox, previously known as monkeypox, began in Africa in May 2022.
But the latest Clade 1b strain is considered far deadlier.
It has swept through central Africa killing at least 1,000 people, since the outbreak began.
Countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo have been hit especially hard with cases also spotted in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya.
However, experts say fatality rates of clade 1b from central Africa are unlikely to be replicated in developed nations like the UK due to better access to higher quality healthcare.
Britain’s four cases means it joins countries such as Sweden, Thailand, India and Germany in having cases outside of Africa.
In July, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an ongoing mpox outbreak across several central African nations as a ‘public health emergency of international concern’.
This is the same designation the WHO gave Covid in late January 2020, just a few weeks before the virus ripped across the world, and some scientists have compared the current outbreak to the ‘early days of HIV’.
Mpox causes characteristic lumpy lesions, as well as a fever, aches and pains and fatigue.
It is a far cry from the 2022 outbreak where thousands of cases were recorded, mostly in London
A woman cares her baby suffering from a severe form of mpox in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
However, in a small number of cases, it can enter the blood and lungs, as well as other parts of the body, when it becomes life-threatening.
Current mpox vaccines, which are designed to work on smallpox a close relative of the mpox virus, were used during the 2022 outbreak against the milder strain.
But they have yet to be widely tested against the more potent clade 1b strain.
The WHO and the NHS recommends a vaccine within four days of contact with someone who has the virus or within up to 14 days if there are no symptoms.
Healthcare workers and men who have sex with men are advised to receive a vaccine even if they have had no mpox exposure.
There are no direct treatments available with medics focused instead on supporting a patient to help their body fight off the virus.
Last week, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said the Government was working with UKHSA and the NHS ‘to protect the public and prevent transmission’.
He added: ‘This includes securing vaccines and equipping healthcare professionals with the guidance and tools they need to respond to cases safely.
‘We are also working with our international partners to support affected countries to prevent further outbreaks.’
