The first case of a new, more dangerous strain of mpox has been found in Britain, the UK Health Security Agency has said.
The patient has been transferred to a high-level isolation unit at the Royal Free Hospital in North London, the same facility where imported cases of Ebola were treated in 2015.
The person involved had travelled back to the UK from a holiday in Africa on an overnight flight on October 21. They developed flu-like symptoms 24 hours later, followed by a rash, and attended A&E on October 27 where they were tested for mpox.
Fewer than 10 people are now being contact traced, although authorities are “still working” on the number of people they may have to monitor, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
The strain of the virus – known as clade 1b mpox – is a different variant than the ones that have been circulating in the UK since 2022, and is thought to cause more severe disease.
Formerly known as monkeypox, the disease is primarily spread through close contact, such as sex, skin-to-skin contact and talking or breathing close to another person.
Mpox causes a characteristic lumpy rash with pus-filled lesions, fever, aches, and pains. It has also been linked to dangerous complications for pregnant women including miscarriage.