Fifth case of new deadly mpox strain detected in UK city – with NO link to other patients
A CASE of the new, mutant strain of mpox has been detected in Leeds, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has announced.
The new infection brings the number of confirmed cases of the virus in the UK, identified as clade 1b, to five.
Despite the rise in infections, health chiefs insist the risk to the UK population “remains low”.
The new case has no links to previous cases identified that were all from the same household in London.
Those four cases have all now fully recovered, UKHSA said.
Officials don’t yet know how the new person became infected with the strain.
But they had “recently” travelled back to the UK from Uganda, where the virus is spreading.
The new mpox variant differs from those circulating in the UK since 2022, appearing to be more contagious while remaining equally deadly.
The infected patient has since been moved to the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where they are receiving specialist care.
Health officials are now racing to trace their close contacts, who will be tested and offered vaccinations.
Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, said: “It is thanks to clinicians rapidly recognising the symptoms and our diagnostics tests that we have been able to detect this new case.
“The risk to the UK population remains low following this fifth case, and we are working rapidly to trace close contacts and reduce the risk of any potential spread.
“In accordance with established protocols, investigations are underway to learn how the individual acquired the infection and to assess whether there are any further associated cases.”
The UK reported its first case of the new strain in late October.
The individual had started showing symptoms during a flight back to London from a holiday in Africa.
Germany also reported its first case in October, following Sweden’s first case in August.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a viral infection that causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions.
The new clade 1b variant started spreading rapidly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DCR) last year.
There have been cases reported in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and India.
Since then, it has infected more than 25,000 people and is responsible for more than 1,000 deaths.
This prompted the World Health Organisation (WHO) to name the increasing spread of the disease a global health emergency for the second time in two years.
Mpox mostly spreads via close contact with infected people, including through sex.
Who can get the mpox vaccine?
The NHS is offering the smallpox (MVA) vaccine to people who are most likely to be exposed to mpox.
People who are most likely to be exposed include:
- Gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men (GBMSM)
- Some health workers that work on infectious disease inpatient units and sexual health services
- Some health and aid workers travel to affected countries to work within mpox response or sites with active outbreaks
- Close contacts of confirmed cases
The NHS mpox outbreak vaccination programme is currently only available in London and Greater Manchester, to people who live or travel to have sex there.
Healthcare workers will usually be offered two doses of the vaccine.
Men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with other men will be offered 2 doses of the vaccine. The 2nd dose will be offered from 2 to 3 months after the 1st dose.
Your local NHS services will contact you when you can get your 2nd dose.
Common symptoms include a skin rash or pus-filled lesions which can last two to four weeks.
It also can cause fever, headaches, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes
Most cases are mild but it can be deadly.
Professor Jonathan Ball, of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, previously said the new UK cases were not “not unexpected”.
“There are active human-to-human transmission chains of Clade 1b monkeypox infections in several countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and therefore people coming into close contact with anyone infected is at risk.”
Spreads more easily
It was earlier this year when scientists first discovered Clade 1b.
They said that it may cause milder symptoms than clade 2 which triggered the mpox public health emergency in 2022.
However, the new variant of the bug is believed to spread more easily through close contacts.
Mpox is a viral disease that occurs mostly in central and western Africa.
It was first identified in laboratory monkeys, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Currently there is no treatment approved specifically for mpox virus infections, according to the CDC.
However, a two-dose vaccine has been developed to protect against the virus.
Mpox symptoms - and those easily missed
While planning is underway in the UK to prepare for more cases, the superintendent pharmacist at Chemist Click, Abbas Kanani, has shared with The Sun the symptoms of mpox to look out for.
- High temperature
- Headache
- Muscle aches
- Backache
- Swollen glands
- Shivering (chills)
- Exhaustion
- Joint pain
Mr Kanani said: “Around one to five days after the first symptoms, a rash on the face usually appears.
“Its appearance of raised spots and small blisters filled with fluid can be mistaken for chickenpox and tends to spread to other parts of the body including genitals, anus and mouth.
“Anal bleeding and pain may also be experienced.”
The most common symptom, according to Mr Kanani, is typically the skin rash which can last two to four weeks.
He said for some people the first symptom may be a rash, while others may have different symptoms first.
But one symptom commonly missed, Kanani warned, is swollen glands or lymph nodes.
He explained: “Swollen glands or lymph nodes can be commonly mistaken for other causes and are not always obvious, particularly if there is mild swelling or it is deep in the body.
“Also, this symptom can be missed because the rash tends to be the most prominent symptom of mpox.”