8th case of Mpox confirmed in UK

The UK health authorities have reported another confirmed case of the variant Mpox clade Ib, bringing the total since last October to eight. This new case follows the agency’s recent report of the seventh case. The case was recorded in London, where the patient is currently hospitalised at the High-consequence Infectious Diseases Unit of the Royal Free Hospital. The UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) has stated that the patient had recently returned from Uganda, where community transmission of the clade Ib Mpox is currently ongoing. Merav Kliner, the UKHSA director responsible for accidents, has identified close contacts and offered appropriate advice to reduce the possibility of further spread. Although the risk to the UK population remains low, the occasional imported case of the variant strain is expected. In 2022, outbreaks of Mpox were reported in more than 70 countries worldwide, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) being the most affected country, having reported a large majority of more than 49,000 suspected cases and 1,100 confirmed deaths on the continent since January 2024. The disease was declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) last August.