Mpox Clade 1b: Deadly Variant Detected in England with No Travel Link Is the Virus Spreading Undetected in the UK? Symptoms, Causes, and Latest Update
United Kingdom (UK): In a concerning development, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed another case of the highly infectious and lethal MPox variant Clade Ib. According to the reports, this is the sixth case of the virus confirmed in the recent past.
"What makes this case a
unique one is that the individual who got infected with the virus strain has no
recent travel history to Africa and no known contact with anyone previously
diagnosed with mpox. This has raised serious questions about the possibility of
whether the virus is following a silent path to spread across UK...," an
official quoted as saying.
Since October last year, the country has seen a sharp rise in infections linked to this highly transmissible strain, mostly in individuals who had recently travelled from Africa or had close contact with infected persons. However, the latest case is different it involves someone with no travel history or known exposure, raising concerns about undetected spread within the community.
Answering questions about
any possibility that the infected person has already spread the strain to
others, the UK Health Agency said, "The case was diagnosed in March and
all contacts have been followed up and no further cases were identified."
What Is Mpox and Why Is Clade 1b So Dangerous?
As there are rising fears among
UK residents about the possible silent community spread of the deadly Mpox
variant, let's look at the data that has been shared by the government about
what makes this variant of Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox so rare in nature.
Mpox is a rare viral disease that belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox. Though less severe than smallpox, mpox can cause serious illness and, in some cases, death especially in vulnerable individuals or when associated with more dangerous viral clades.
Currently, experts have
warned that there are two primary known clades of the mpox virus -- Clade I and
Clade II. While Clade II has already caused global outbreaks in 2022-23,
experts say that the nature of this variant is relatively milder in terms of
disease severity and fatality. On the other hand, Clade I is more virulent
and comes with the ability to transmit faster than Clade I. Studies have also
shown that subvariant Clade 1b is deadly in nature since it has a high fatality
rate.
This makes the detection of a
Clade 1b case in someone with no identifiable exposure particularly worrying,
as it suggests the virus may be spreading quietly and more dangerously than
before.
What Are the
Symptoms of Mpox Clade 1b?
Since October 2023, the
United Kingdom has been witnessing a noticeable surge in Mpox infection cases
mainly related to the mpox Clade 1b variant. As experts believe that there are
possibilities that the virus strain is spreading silently across the country,
we have listed the top signs associated with the variant.
While symptoms can vary depending on the clade or the variant and the individual's health status, Here are some of the classic symptoms of mpox:
1. High fever, accompanied by muscle ache, and body pain
2. Severe headache
3. Pinching pain in the back and sides
4. Swollen lymph nodes
5. Chills
6. Extreme tiredness, and fatigue
7. Rash (often begins on the face and spreads to other parts of the body)
In some rare cases
associated with Clade 1b, patients have also shown complications such as
pneumonia, secondary infections, sepsis, and encephalitis (inflammation of the
brain) have been reported more frequently. The disease progression tends to be
faster and more aggressive, making early detection and treatment crucial.
Following the detection of
this case, the UKHSA has launched an urgent contact tracing and risk assessment
campaign. Health officials are trying to determine how the individual got
infected and whether others in the community may also be at risk. The agency is
also urging healthcare professionals to remain vigilant for symptoms of mpox,
particularly in patients presenting with unexplained rashes or flu-like
symptoms. Laboratories have been advised to expedite testing and sequencing of
suspected mpox samples to determine the presence of Clade 1b.
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