More cases of a deadly new strain of mpox have been detected in the UK – just days after the virus first crossed British shores.
Last week, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said one case of the MPox Clade 1b variant had been detected in London – but now two more cases have been detected, also in the capital.
The two patients with the new strain are currently receiving specialist care at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London, the UKHSA added.
The two are “household contacts of the first case”, it is specified.
Two more cases of mpox have been detected in London
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The charity’s chief medical adviser, Professor Susan Hopkins, said: “Mpox is highly contagious in close contact households and so it is not surprising to see other cases within the same household. .
“The overall risk to the UK population remains low.
“We are working with partners to ensure all contacts of cases are identified and contacted to reduce the risk of spread.”
A statement from the UKHSA on Monday evening said “extensive planning is underway” to “ensure healthcare professionals are equipped and ready to respond to any further confirmed cases”.
LATEST MPOX DEVELOPMENTS:
Patients are under specialist care at Guy’s and St Thomas’, south London.
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He added that the contacts of the three confirmed cases are being “tracked by UKHSA and partner organisations”.
“All contacts will be offered testing and vaccinations if necessary and will be informed of additional care needed if they have symptoms or test positive,” the agency said.
Mpox is a viral disease that causes fluid-filled skin lesions, fever, and, in severe cases, death.
It is spread through close contact with an infected person’s skin, sores, scabs, bodily fluids, or respiratory droplets.
Clade 1b takes over parts of central and west Africa
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The virus is rampant in parts of central and west Africa, where it has infected more than 25,000 people and caused nearly 1,000 deaths since it was detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo last year.
But the virus has since spread to Sweden, Thailand, Pakistan and the Philippines, as well as three cases in Britain.
In response to the outbreak in parts of Africa, bigwigs at the World Health Organization (WHO) and affected countries have decided to activate the Global Health Emergency Corps (GHEC) for the first time .
GHEC is a group of professionals who work to strengthen responses to health emergencies and provide a way for countries and health emergency networks to work together to combat outbreaks like this.