A new case of the strain of monkeypox that is causing global alarm has been found in the UK, health officials have confirmed.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the patient was found in East Sussex but was now under specialist care at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London.
They said the patient, the sixth case of the deadly strain in the UK to date, had recently returned to Britain from Uganda, where the virus is spreading through the population.
Health officials said they would not release any further details about the patient.
However, they added that possible close contacts of the patient who may have been exposed to the virus are being traced.
These contacts will be offered testing and treatment if necessary.
The first British case of the new strain, detected on October 30, was also found in a person traveling to the UK from Africa and led to three further cases within the same household.
The fifth case, in November, was also due to another travel-related imported case.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the patient was found in East Sussex, but was now under specialist care at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London.
The total number of confirmed cases in Britain now stands at six.
UKHSA said the current risk of the virus to the public remained “low” and cases linked to Africa were to be expected.
Dr Meera Chand, Deputy Director of UKHSA, said: “Thanks to doctors’ quick recognition of the symptoms and the work of our specialist laboratory, we have been able to detect this new case.
“The risk to the UK population remains low following this sixth case, and we are working quickly to trace close contacts and reduce the risk of any potential spread.”
The new strain of mpox, called Clade 1b, has spread across central Africa, killing at least 1,000 people since the outbreak began.
The strain is estimated to kill about 5 percent of adults who contract it, but the mortality rate rises to one in 10 in children.
It is considered much deadlier than the clade 2 strain that spread around the world in 2022, mainly affecting gay and bisexual men, and which only killed about one in every 500 people who contracted it.
Experts say Central Africa’s clade 1b death rates are unlikely to be replicated in developed countries like the UK due to better access to higher quality healthcare.
Common symptoms of mpox include a skin rash or pus-filled lesions that can last two to four weeks.
In a small number of cases, the infection can enter the blood and lungs, as well as other parts of the body such as the brain, making it life-threatening.
The infection is primarily spread through close person-to-person contact with someone infected or by contact with contaminated materials, such as bed sheets.
Anyone who has symptoms should continue to avoid contact with others as long as symptoms persist.
It can also cause fever, headaches, muscle aches, back pain, lack of energy, and swollen lymph nodes.
Current mpox vaccines are designed to work against smallpox, a close relative of the mpox virus.