A new, more dangerous variant of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is “very likely” already in the UK.
The World Health Organization declared it a global health emergency this week after it spread to 13 African countries, resulting in over 15,600 cases and 537 deaths.
Professor Paul Hunter indicated that it is “very likely” that someone in the UK is already infected with this new variant of the virus.
However, he noted that confirmation might take a few weeks, as it will require people with symptoms to visit a doctor and have their samples tested.
“When someone contracts the infection, it usually takes several days before they develop the typical symptoms that suggest ‘this could be mpox’,” Prof Hunter explained to Sky News.
“After that, it may take even longer for samples to be collected, sent to the lab, identified as mpox, and then sequenced to determine which clade of mpox it belongs to.”
The disease causes blisters on the face and other parts of the body and primarily spreads through the transmission of fluid from these lesions during sexual contact.
Professor Hunter noted that the risk of infection for most people is very low. The illness usually begins with non-specific symptoms that could be mistaken for flu or COVID, before the appearance of blisters, he explained.
Although this is the second time in three years that mpox has been declared an emergency, Professor Hunter emphasized that for most people, it is a “relatively mild” illness that they recover from on their own.
He also mentioned that the risk of infection remains very low unless individuals are part of certain “sexual networks” with multiple partners, as the DRC strain was initially detected among sex workers.
While the virus has been declared an emergency due to its spread in Africa, infection through methods such as reusing towels or other forms of skin-to-skin contact is possible but uncommon, he added.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has also stated that the current risk is considered low, and the existing mpox vaccine is believed to be effective against the new strain.