How is new strain of mpox found in UK different to what we’ve had before?

Published

1 year ago

October 30, 2024

admin

A new, more infectious strain of mpox has been detected in the UK for the first time.

The single case of the mpox virus variant Clade 1b was detected in a patient who is being treated at the Royal Free Hospital in London, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

The UKHSA has said the risk to the population “remains extremely low” as it traces less than 10 direct contacts since the case was discovered.

Is the new strain worse?

The new variant that has emerged is known as Clade 1b, and is believed to cause milder symptoms than other strands of mpox, but it concerns health officials because it spreads more easily through close contact, particularly among children.

Clade 1b appears to be less severe than some other strains, with countries where it is circulating reporting around a tenfold reduction in case fatality rate, according to the UKHSA.

It was first detected in a mining town in the DRC earlier this year, before it spread to neighbouring countries.

What do we know about the UK case?

The case was confirmed to the UKHSA on Tuesday, which says the person involved had been on holiday in Africa and travelled back to the UK on an overnight flight on 21 October.

More than 24 hours later, they developed flu-like symptoms and on 24 October, started to develop a rash which got worse in the following days.

When they attended A&E in London on 27 October, they were swabbed, tested and then isolated while waiting for their results.

Fewer than 10 direct contacts are being traced after the discovery, and Professor Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser at UKHSA, said the “risk to the UK population remains low”.

Has there been an outbreak in the UK before?

There have been cases of mpox in the UK before, with most seen in 2022 when there was a global outbreak of a less infectious strain which spread to more than 100 countries, prompting the WHO to declare a public health emergency of international concern on 23 July 2022.

A total of 2,137 cases had been confirmed in the UK at that stage, but by 31 December 2022 that number had soared to 3,732 cases – 3,553 were in England, 34 in Northern Ireland, 97 in Scotland and 48 in Wales.

Before the spring of 2022, UK cases were usually associated with travel to or from countries where mpox is endemic, particularly in western or central Africa.

But in May that year, there was a large outbreak in the UK, mostly in men who are gay, bisexual, or have sex with other men.

A vaccination programme was launched in the UK in the summer of 2022 and closed the following July.

There have been no reported deaths due to mpox in the UK.

Where else has the Clade 1b strain been found?

The total number of suspected cases in Africa since the beginning of the year now stands at 42,438, with 8,113 confirmed as mpox, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

At least 1,000 deaths have been reported across Africa, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the increasing spread of the disease a global health emergency.

The first case of the variant outside of Africa was confirmed in Sweden in August, while one was also reported in Thailand and another in India earlier this month.

Germany also reported its first Clade 1b case on 22 October.

What are the symptoms?

Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or pus-filled lesions which can last two to four weeks.

The rashes can be located anywhere on the body and some people may only have one, while others can have hundreds or more.

These are other symptoms listed by the CDC:

Fever
Chills
Swollen lymph nodes
Exhaustion
Muscle aches and backache
Headache
Respiratory symptoms (e.g., sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough)

The WHO says people may start to feel unwell before they get a rash or skin lesions, while for others the skin symptoms can be the first or only sign.

People with more severe mpox can suffer with the following symptoms, according to the WHO:

More widespread lesions – especially in the mouth, eyes, and genitals
Severe bacterial infections
Lung infections
Mpox affecting the brain (encephalitis)
Heart (myocarditis)
Lungs (pneumonia)
Eye problems

Newborn babies, children, people who are pregnant and people with underlying immune deficiencies may be at higher risk of more serious mpox disease and death, the WHO adds.

How is it treated?

Currently, there is no treatment approved specifically for mpox infections, according to the CDC.

It says that for most patients with mpox who have intact immune systems and don’t have a skin disease, supportive care and pain control will help them recover without medical treatment.

People with severe mpox may require hospital treatment, supportive care and antiviral medicines to reduce the severity of lesions and shorten the time to recovery, the WHO says.

Many years of research on treatments for smallpox have led to the development of products that may also be useful for treating mpox, it adds.

It says an antiviral developed to treat smallpox called tecovirimat was approved by the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of mpox under exceptional circumstances in 2022. It also said its use for mpox has been limited so far.

However, a two-dose vaccine has been developed to protect against the virus, which is widely available in Western countries but not in Africa.

Scientists from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) say they need more than 10 million vaccine doses but only 200,000 are available.

What is mpox?

It is a viral disease that has occurred mostly in central and western Africa.

Mpox has been endemic in parts of Africa for decades after it was first detected in humans in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1970, having originally been identified in laboratory monkeys, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

It used to be known as monkeypox, but was renamed in 2022 by the WHO after receiving complaints that the original name was “racist and stigmatising”.

UK

Specialist teams and online investigators deployed across England and Wales to tackle ‘national emergency’ of violence against women and girls

Published

5 hours ago

December 14, 2025

admin

Specialist teams and online investigators deployed across England and Wales to tackle 'national emergency' of violence against women and girls

Specialist investigation teams for rape and sexual offences are to be created across England and Wales as the Home Secretary declares violence against women and girls a “national emergency”.

Shabana Mahmood said the dedicated units will be in place across every force by 2029 as part of Labour’s violence against women and girls (VAWG) strategy due to be launched later this week.

The use of Domestic Abuse Protection Orders (DAPOs), which had been trialled in several areas, will also be rolled out across England and Wales. They are designed to target abusers by imposing curfews, electronic tags and exclusion zones.

The orders cover all forms of domestic abuse, including economic abuse, coercive and controlling behaviour, stalking and ‘honour’-based abuse. Breaching the terms can carry a prison term of up to 5 years.

Nearly £2m will also be spent funding a network of officers to target offenders operating within the online space.

Teams will use covert and intelligence techniques to tackle violence against women and girls via apps and websites.

A similar undercover network funded by the Home Office to examine child sexual abuse has arrested over 1,700 perpetrators.

Abuse is ‘national emergency’

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a statement: “This government has declared violence against women and girls a national emergency.

“For too long, these crimes have been considered a fact of life. That’s not good enough. We will halve it in a decade.

“Today we announce a range of measures to bear down on abusers, stopping them in their tracks. Rapists, sex offenders and abusers will have nowhere to hide.”

The target to halve violence against women and girls in a decade is a Labour manifesto pledge.

The government said the measures build on existing policy, including facial recognition technology to identify offenders, improving protections for stalking victims, making strangulation a criminal offence and establishing domestic abuse specialists in 999 control rooms.

Labour has ‘failed women’

But the Conservatives said Labour had “failed women” and “broken its promises” by delaying the publication of the violence against women and girls strategy.

Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp, said that Labour “shrinks from uncomfortable truths, voting against tougher sentences and presiding over falling sex-offender convictions. At every turn, Labour has failed women.”

UK

UK has seen longest period without migrants arriving on small boats since 2018, figures show

Published

18 hours ago

December 13, 2025

admin

UK has seen longest period without migrants arriving on small boats since 2018, figures show

There have been no migrant arrivals in small boats crossing the Channel for 28 days, according to Home Office figures.

The last recorded arrivals were on 14 November, making it the longest uninterrupted run since autumn 2018 after no reported arrivals on Friday.

However, a number of Border Force vessels were active in the English Channel on Saturday morning, indicating that there may be arrivals today.

So far, 39,292 people have crossed to the UK aboard small boats this year – already more than any other year except 2022.

The record that year was set at 45,774 arrivals.

It comes as the government has stepped up efforts in recent months to deter people from risking their lives crossing the Channel – but measures are not expected to have an impact until next year.

December is normally one of the quietest for Channel crossings, with a combination of poor visibility, low temperatures, less daylight and stormy weather making the perilous journey more difficult.

The most arrivals recorded in the month of December is 3,254, in 2024.

Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy met with ministers from other European countries this week as discussions over possible reform to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) continue.

The issue of small boat arrivals – a very small percentage of overall UK immigration – has become a salient issue in British politics in recent years.

Last month, French maritime police announced they would soon be able to intercept boats in the English Channel.

UK

King reveals ‘good news’ in his battle with cancer and urges people to get checked

Published

1 day ago

December 12, 2025

admin

King reveals 'good news' in his battle with cancer and urges people to get checked

The King has shared in a television address that, thanks to early diagnosis, his cancer treatment can be reduced in the new year.

In a televised address, Charles said his “good news” was “thanks to early diagnosis, effective intervention and adherence to doctors’ orders”.

“This milestone is both a personal blessing and a testimony to the remarkable advances that have been made in cancer care in recent years,” he added.

“Testimony that I hope may give encouragement to the 50% of us who will be diagnosed with the illness at some point in our lives.”

The King announced in February 2024 that he had been diagnosed with cancer and was beginning treatment.

The monarch postponed all public-facing engagements, but continued with his duties as head of state behind palace walls, conducting audiences and Privy Council meetings.

He returned to public duties in April last year and visited University College Hospital Macmillan Cancer Centre in central London with the Queen and discussed his “shock” at being diagnosed when he spoke to a fellow cancer patient.

Sources suggested last December his treatment would continue in 2025 and was “moving in a positive direction”.

The King has chosen not to reveal what kind of cancer he has been treated for. Palace sources have partly put that down to the fact that he doesn’t want one type of cancer to appear more significant or attract more attention than others.

In a statement after the speech aired, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “His Majesty has responded exceptionally well to treatment and his doctors advise that ongoing measures will now move into a precautionary phase.”

Sir Keir Starmer praised the video message as “a powerful message,” and said: “I know I speak for the entire country when I say how glad I am that his cancer treatment will be reduced in the new year.

“Early cancer screening saves lives.”

Early detection can give ‘the precious gift of hope’

His message on Friday was broadcast at 8pm in support of Stand Up To Cancer, a joint campaign by Cancer Research UK and Channel 4.

In an appeal to people to get screened for the disease early, the King said: “I know from my own experience that a cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming.

“Yet I also know that early detection is the key that can transform treatment journeys, giving invaluable time to medical teams – and, to their patients, the precious gift of hope. These are gifts we can all help deliver.”

Charles noted that “at least nine million people in our country are not up to date with the cancer screenings available to them,” adding: “That is at least nine million opportunities for early diagnosis being missed.

“The statistics speak with stark clarity. To take just one example: When bowel cancer is caught at the earliest stage, around nine in ten people survive for at least five years.

“When diagnosed late, that falls to just one in ten. Early diagnosis quite simply saves lives.”

after months of uncertainty, some relief and reassurance for the King

This is a rare but positive update. The King in his own words speaking about his cancer.

And it’s good news.

Since his diagnosis, he’s received weekly treatment. His work schedule has had to fit around the appointments. And while it’s not stopping, it is being significantly reduced.

He’s responded well, and his recovery has reached, we understand, a very positive stage.

The King’s decision to speak publicly and so personally is unusual.

He has deliberately chosen the moment, supporting the high-profile Stand Up To Cancer campaign, and the launch of a national online screening checker.

It still hasn’t been revealed what kind of cancer he has. And there’s a reason – firstly, it’s private information.

But more importantly, the King knows the power of sharing his story. And with it, the potential to support the wider cancer community.

We are once again seeing a candid openness from the Royal Family. Earlier this year, the Princess of Wales discussed the ups and downs of her cancer journey.

These moments signal a shift towards greater transparency on matters the Royal Family once kept entirely private.

For millions facing cancer, the King’s update is empathy and encouragement from someone who understands.

And after months of uncertainty, for the King himself, some relief and reassurance.

Minor inconvenience of screening ‘a small price to pay’

The King acknowledged that people often avoid screening “because they imagine it may be frightening, embarrassing or uncomfortable”. But, he added: “If and when they do finally take up their invitation, they are glad they took part.

“A few moments of minor inconvenience are a small price to pay for the reassurance that comes for most people when they are either told either they don’t need further tests, or, for some, are given the chance to enable early detection, with the life-saving intervention that can follow.”

Giving his “most heartfelt thanks” to doctors, nurses, researchers and charity workers, the King added: “As I have observed before, the darkest moments of illness can be illuminated by the greatest compassion. But compassion must be paired with action.

“This December, as we gather to reflect on the year past, I pray that we can each pledge, as part of our resolutions for the year ahead, to play our part in helping to catch cancer early.

“Your life – or the life of someone you love – may depend upon it.”