The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Monday it had identified a new strain of the mpox virus in England in a person who had recently travelled to Asia.
“Our genomic testing has enabled us to detect this new mpox strain,” said Katy Sinka from the UKHSA, a government agency responsible for preventing and controlling the spread of infectious diseases.
The agency said it would continue to “assess the significance of the strain”, which had elements of both mpox subtypes: the more severe clade 1, and clade 2.
Advertisement
“Genomic sequencing showed that the mpox genome contained elements of clade Ib and IIb mpox,” the UKHSA said.
Mpox, previously known as Monkeypox, is a viral infection related to smallpox, causing fever, body aches and distinct skin lesions, and can be deadly.
It can be transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed between people through close physical contact.