Health chiefs in England have issued new guidance for schools and nurseries on what to do if they detect a case of mpox.
The document warns education and care authorities about possible cases of a new, more lethal and more infectious strain of the virus that spread across the UK in 2022.
The new strain, dubbed clade 1b, is currently sweeping through central Africa and has reached parts of Europe; some experts predict it may have already reached the UK.
The warning from officials comes as new data from the Africa Centres for Disease Control shows that children are bearing the brunt of what the World Health Organization has called a “public health emergency.”
Data from the agency show that more than half of the cases reported in Africa since January, around 58 percent, are in children under 15 years of age.
The mpox outbreak in Africa continues to grow rapidly, with nearly 25,000 cases reported between January and September 5 this year, a huge increase from the previous year. The vertical blue represents the moment when the Africa CDC labeled the ongoing outbreak a “continental public health security emergency” last month.
UKHSA guidance says early childhood education and care providers should contact them regarding any cases of mpox among staff, children or their families.
The paper states that a small number of mpox cases have been recorded in the UK since 2022, but these belong to the milder clade 2 strain.
But it now has an additional section on the strain that has sparked alarm around the world and while acknowledging no cases have been found in Britain, officials say this is only “so far”.
“There have been no cases of the type of mpox that can be more serious (called clade 1 mpox) in the UK,” it reads.
‘So far, this type of mpox has been found mainly in countries in West, Central and East Africa.’
Experts told MailOnline that since it can take weeks after infection with mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, the virus could already be in Britain.
It has already reached Europe and Swedish authorities confirmed a case last month.
UKHSA officials go on to write that the likelihood of contracting MPox in the UK is low and that most people infected with the virus recover within several weeks.
However, they add that MPOX can be more severe in certain groups, including children under five years of age.
The UKHSA guidance says that while mpox does not generally spread easily between people, possible routes of transmission include direct skin-to-skin contact, contact with the clothing or bedding of an infected person, or a patient’s cough or sneeze.
Officials conclude their guidance by stating that schools and daycare centers should exclude people with MPOX until those children receive clearance from their physician.
The new guidance comes as data from the African CDC shows that in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the hardest-hit nation so far, 58 percent of cases are among children under 15 years old.
Data collected in Burundi also reflect this pattern: 54% of cases occur among children.
Overall, the mpox outbreak in Africa continues to grow rapidly with nearly 25,000 cases reported between January and September 5 this year.
This represents an increase of 104 percent compared to the same period in 2023.
In total, although some 25,000 cases have been recorded, only 5,500 have been confirmed through laboratory testing due to a lack of resources in the affected countries.
A total of 643 deaths have been recorded, the vast majority (99 percent) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A woman cares for her baby who is suffering from a severe form of MPOX in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
The new strain of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is much more lethal than the mild strain that spread to more than a dozen countries, including the United Kingdom, in 2022.
It is estimated to kill one in 20 adults, but the mortality rate rises to one in 10 in children.
By comparison, clade 2 only killed about one in every 500 people who contracted it.
While both strains are spread through sexual contact, they can also spread through direct contact, such as cleaning or sharing clothing and bedding.
Experts have said that the mortality rates of central African clade 1b are unlikely to be replicated in developed countries such as the UK due to better access to higher quality healthcare.
UKHSA warned it is “already making plans” for cases of the new strain in the UK.
Mpox normally cIt causes characteristic lumpy lesions, as well as fever, aches and fatigue.
In a small number of cases, it can enter the blood and lungs, as well as other parts of the body such as the brain, causing it to become potentially fatal.
UKHSA has been contacted for comment.