MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

New strain of mpox detected in UK

“Although infection with the mpox virus is benign for many, it can be serious,” Dr. Sinka warned

According to reports from the United Kingdom dated Monday, health officials in the country have identified a new, genetically recombinant variant of mpox (monkeypox) in an individual who recently traveled back from Asia, prompting immediate analysis by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The newly discovered strain combines genetic material from two different viral subtypes: the more severe clade Ib and the less severe clade IIb (the one behind the 2022 global outbreak).

Dr. Katy Sinka, UKHSA's head of sexually transmitted infections, confirmed the discovery. “Our genomic testing has enabled us to detect this new variant of mpox,” she said.

Dr. Boghuma Titanji, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Emory University, warned: “The identification of a recombinant mpox strain containing elements of both Clade I and Clade II is precisely what experts in the field feared would happen if the virus continued to spread globally without a decisive response to stop it.”

The primary concern is whether this genetic mixing will alter the virus's transmissibility (how easily it spreads) or its virulence (how severe infections become).

While UKHSA stated it would “continue to assess the significance of this variant,” officials stressed that the public should not downplay the risk.

“Although infection with the mpox virus is benign for many, it can be severe,” Dr. Sinka noted and strongly urged eligible individuals to get vaccinated, emphasizing that the jab is a “proven effective way to protect against severe forms of the disease.”

Vaccination is currently offered to those considered most at risk, including gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men who have multiple partners or attend high-risk venues.

The discovery serves as a reminder that mpox “is circulating globally and is evolving,” according to Professor Trudie Lang, Director of the Global Health Network at the University of Oxford. The case highlights the ongoing global scale of the outbreak, with nearly 48,000 confirmed cases worldwide this year, disproportionately affecting Central Africa.