New Mpox Variant Detected in Europe for the First Time

The WHO confirms local transmission of the Mpox Clade Ib variant in the UK, marking the first cases outside Africa.

Two individuals in the UK have contracted the Mpox Clade Ib variant after close contact with a traveler from Africa.
The World Health Organization has declared an international health emergency to increase global awareness and monitoring.
The UK Health Security Agency assesses the risk to the general population as low but advises heightened surveillance.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, spreads primarily through close skin-to-skin contact, including sexual contact.
Clade Ib is potentially more contagious and severe than the previously circulating Clade IIb, though data is still being evaluated.