The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced Tuesday that two new cases of the mpox virus in the UK are the first locally transmitted cases in Europe and the first outside Africa for the variant clade 1b. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed these cases, which bring the UK’s total to three, all related to the initial case reported last week.
The WHO has urged European countries to be ready for “rapid action” to curb the spread of this variant, which transmits through close contact, including shared spaces and physical intimacy. The affected individuals are receiving specialist care, with UKHSA stating the risk to the general population remains low.
The original case involved a traveller who returned to the UK from several African nations on October 21, developing symptoms soon after. Mpox is a viral disease related to smallpox and presents with fever, skin rashes, blisters, and body aches.
Europe and the US saw a surge in mpox cases in 2022, primarily among gay and bisexual men. Vaccination campaigns helped reduce infections, allowing the WHO to lift its emergency status in May 2023. This year, a new mpox variant has been spreading in parts of Africa, with cases recently emerging in Sweden, India, and the UK.