The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has reported two additional cases of the new mpox variant, a viral infection known for causing severe fever, painful rashes, and potentially death.
This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the UK to three.
The latest cases were detected among household contacts of the first reported case, which emerged in London on 30 October.
The initial patient had recently returned from travel to African countries currently grappling with severe outbreaks.
These outbreaks have led to nearly 1,000 deaths, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring nations.
Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at the UKHSA, noted, “Mpox is highly contagious within households with close contact, so further cases within the same household are not unexpected.”
Hopkins reassured the public, adding, “The overall risk to the UK population remains low. We are collaborating with partners to ensure that all contacts of the confirmed cases are traced and informed to minimise further spread.”
This newly identified variant, Clade I, was formerly known as monkeypox and is recognised as more severe than Clade II, which prompted a global outbreak in 2022.
So far, Europe has only reported a handful of Clade I mpox cases, with isolated incidents recorded in Sweden and Germany.
