What the new mpox strain in Europe means for the UK
The IndependentSign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Experts said the new strain is “associated with a more severe disease and higher mortality rates” than the one that caused the global mpox outbreak in 2022. There have also been 100 lab-confirmed cases of clade 1b in four countries neighbouring the DRC that have not reported mpox before: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. “And second, clade 1 mpox virus is associated with a more severe disease and higher mortality rates than the clade 2 virus responsible for the international mpox outbreak in 2022.” Michael Marks, a professor of medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: “It’s clear that this is the largest outbreak of mpox reported from the region. “It’s also the largest of the clade 1 mpox virus, which has traditionally been associated with a higher case fatality rate than clade 2, which caused the large global outbreak in 2022.” open image in gallery An electron micrograph of monkeypox particles found within an infected cell How did the UK deal with the last outbreak?