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Scientists comment on a new case of Clade Ib mpox detected by UKHSA.
Dr Jonas Albarnaz, Institute Fellow, Capripoxvirus Biology, The Pirbright Institute, said:
“Sporadic cases outside Africa are expected to happen whilst the outbreak is not brought under control in Africa. Other than DRC, clade 1b mpox has also been transmitted locally in Burundi and Uganda. Therefore, this new case in the UK imported from Uganda might indicate the increased circulation of clade 1b in this African country.
“Since the emergence of clade 1b mpox in East DRC, countries implemented surveillance and contact-tracing strategies to detect possible importations early on, following WHO recommendations. These measures enabled the detection of imported clade 1b cases in Sweden, Thailand, India, Germany, US, and the UK in individuals with recent travel history. However, except for the previously reported three cases in the UK, further transmission to close contacts has not been reported in countries outside Africa.
“Vaccination remains the best strategy to prevent mpox and is recommended to individuals at higher risk of infection, which include contacts of mpox cases, healthcare workers, and people with multiple sexual partners. Two vaccines are approved against mpox: MVA-BN and LC16. These vaccines are based on weakened versions of a related orthopoxvirus (vaccinia) and were developed against smallpox. However, availability of these vaccines globally is very limited, representing a major bottleneck for the control strategies.”
Declared interests
Dr Jonas Albarnaz: “No conflict of interests to declare.”