New deadly mpox variant ‘very likely’ to already be in UK, expert says

Sweden confirmed their first case of a contagious variant on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organisation declared the spread of a new strain of the contagious virus a ‘global emergency’.

The WHO announced that the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations.

Caused by an Orthopoxvirus, mpox was first detected in humans in 1970, in the DRC.

The disease is considered endemic to countries in central and west Africa.

In July 2022, the multi-country outbreak of mpox was declared a PHEIC as it spread rapidly via sexual contact across a range of countries where the virus had not been seen before.

That PHEIC was declared over in May 2023 after there had been a sustained decline in global cases.

Mpox has been reported in the DRC for more than a decade, and the number of cases reported each year has increased steadily over that period.

Last year, reported cases increased significantly, and already the number of cases reported so far this year has exceeded last year’s total, with more than 15 600 cases and 537 deaths.

Sweden’s public health agency confirmed their first case of a contagious variant of Mpox on Wednesday, the first recorded outside of Africa.

Health and Social Affairs Minister Jakob Forssmed told a news conference: “We have now also during the afternoon had confirmation that we have one case in Sweden of the more grave type of mpox, the one called Clade I.”

BREAKING: Sweden says it has confirmed a first case of mpox

More: https://t.co/9hHE89nJ4v

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— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 15, 2024

Now, Professor Paul Hunter - a microbiologist and Professor in Medicine at the University of East Anglia - has told Sky News that a deadly strain is "very likely" to already be in the UK.

Prof Hunter said although it was "very likely" that someone in the UK already has the new variant of the viral disease, it probably wouldn't be confirmed for a few weeks until people with symptoms visit a doctor and their samples are tested.

"When someone gets an infection it typically takes several days before they develop the classic appearance that would make people think 'oh, this is mpox'," he said

"Then it can take longer before the samples are taken and sent to the lab, it's identified as mpox and sent for sequencing so we know which clade of mpox it is."

Common symptoms of mpox include a skin rash or pus-filled lesions which can last two to four weeks, according to the UKHSA.

It also can cause fever, headaches, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.

The infection can be passed on through contact with someone who has the infection or with infected animals, adds the NHS.

A rash usually appears one to five days after the first symptoms. The rash often begins on the face, then spreads to other parts of the body. This can include the mouth, genitals and anus. There may also be anal pain or bleeding from the bottom.

The rash is sometimes confused with chickenpox. It starts as raised spots, which turn into small blisters filled with fluid. These blisters eventually form scabs which later fall off.

The symptoms usually clear up in a few weeks. While you have symptoms, you can pass mpox on to other people.

Anyone can get mpox, says the NHS. It can be passed through people by any close physical contact with mpox blisters or scabs (including during sexual contact, kissing, cuddling or holding hands).

Other avenues of transmission include touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with mpox, and the coughs or sneezes of a person with mpox when they’re close to you.

Currently, there is no treatment approved specifically for mpox but for most patients with mpox who have intact immune systems and don’t have a skin disease, supportive care and pain control will help them recover without medical treatment, according to the CDC.

A two-dose vaccine has been developed to protect against the virus, which is widely available in Western countries but not in Africa.

Scientists from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention say they need more than 10 million vaccines but there are currently only 200,000 available.

BREAKING: Sweden says it has confirmed a first case of mpox

More: https://t.co/9hHE89nJ4v

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/NT4MlifVs4

— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 15, 2024