Fifth Case of Mpox Clade 1b Confirmed in England

A traveler returning from Uganda tests positive for the rare mpox strain, with UK officials emphasizing low public health risk.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed a fifth case of mpox Clade 1b in England, detected in Leeds.
The infected individual recently returned from Uganda, where community transmission of the Clade 1b strain has been reported.
This case is unrelated to the four previous cases in London, all of which were from the same household and have since recovered.
Clade 1b mpox, linked to a global health emergency declared by the WHO in August, is a more severe strain of the virus spreading in parts of central and eastern Africa.
Health officials are tracing close contacts of the Leeds case, offering testing and vaccination, while stressing that the overall risk to the UK population remains low.