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The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) indicated on Monday that it had identified a new variant of mpox in England in a person who had recently traveled to Asia.
The agency continues to "assess the significance of this variant," which displays elements of the two mpox subtypes: clade 1, which is more severe, and clade 2.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus in the same family as the smallpox virus. It manifests primarily with high fever and the appearance of skin lesions, and it can be fatal.
"Our genomic testing has allowed us to detect this new variant of mpox," Katy Sinka, head of sexually transmitted infections at the UKHSA, indicated in a statement.
"Although mpox virus infection is mild for many, it can be severe," emphasized Katy Sinka, reminding the public that vaccination is "an effective way to protect against severe forms of the disease."
In September, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that mpox was no longer an international health emergency, citing, among other factors, the decline in deaths and cases in various African countries. The emergency had been declared a year earlier.
First identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970, mpox remained confined for a long time to about a dozen African countries.
But in 2022, it began to spread to the rest of the world, especially to developed countries where the virus had never previously circulated.
Viruela del mono, ¿llegará a México?
To date, Mexican authorities have not reported a new case of mpox in the country.
In its latest public report, the government of Mexico stated that as of August 3, the Epidemiological Surveillance System had identified 212 probable cases of mpox during 2024.
[Publicidad]