Britain identifies first case of new mpox variant

Britain has detected its first case of new mpox variant clade Ib, the country's health security agency (UKHSA) said on Wednesday, adding that the risk to the population remained low.

The clade Ib variant is a new form of the virus that is linked to a global health emergency declared by the World Health Organization in August.

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The case, in a patient who had recently travelled to Africa, was detected in London and the individual has been transferred to a specialist hospital, the UKHSA said.

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Close contacts of the case are being followed up by UKHSA and partner organisations, the UKHSA added.

Clade Ib mpox has been widely circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent months and there have been cases reported in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Sweden, India and Germany.

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