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More cases of a new strain of mpox have been detected in the UK, officials have announced.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said on Monday (November 4) that two further cases were detected in household contacts of the first case.
It brings the total number of cases of the Clade Ib mpox strain in Britain to three.
The two patients are under specialist care at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in London. The UKHSA said the risk to the UK population “remains low”.
Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Adviser at UKHSA, said: “Mpox is very infectious in households with close contact and so it is not unexpected to see further cases within the same household.
“The overall risk to the UK population remains low. We are working with partners to make sure all contacts of the cases are identified and contacted to reduce the risk of further spread.”
The first UK case of the mpox strain was detected in London and made public on October 30.
The infected person had been on holiday in Africa and travelled back to the UK on an overnight flight on October 21.
They developed flu-like symptoms more than 24 hours later and on October 24 they started to develop a rash which worsened over the following days.
The person attended an emergency department in London on October 27, where they were swabbed, tested and sent home to isolate while waiting for the results.
They were then transferred to the Royal Free Hospital high consequence infectious diseases unit for treatment.
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