The unnamed individual, from the North East, is the 12th person to have tested positive for the new clade 1b variant of Mpox in the UK – but they have no travel history or links to any other cases
A new case of the latest Mpox strain has been detected in England in a person with no travel history, or links to any of the other reported cases.
The Clade 1b strain of Mpox, known to be more dangerous than its predecessors, has now been detected in an unnamed individual from the North East, bringing the total number of cases in the UK up to twelve. But while all 11 previous cases were linked to those who had either recently travelled from Africa or been in close contact with someone who had Mpox, the latest patient falls into neither of these categories.
The news has sparked fears the new strain could be silently sweeping across the UK. “The detection of clade 1b mpox in the UK without any known travel history or reported links to prior confirmed cases is concerning because it suggests possible undetected community transmission,” Dr Krutika Kuppalli, associate professor in the division of infectious diseases at the University of Texas Southwestern, told The Telegraph. “This means the virus may already be circulating locally, beyond the scope of current surveillance efforts.”
Dr Kuppalli added: “It also raises concerns about the potential for undetected spread amongst asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic individuals.”
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