France detects first case of new Mpox variant WHO Urges Swift Action

On January 6, France's health ministry confirmed the first case of a new Mpox variant, weeks after the WHO upheld its highest alert level amid the ongoing epidemic.

The confirmed case, involving the clade 1b variant, was reported in the western Brittany region, with the ministry stating that "recommended oversight measures have been implemented," Caliber.Az reports via French media.

Mpox, previously referred to as monkeypox, is linked to smallpox and is caused by a virus transmitted from infected animals to humans, though it can also spread through close human-to-human contact. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and large, boil-like skin lesions, and it can prove fatal in some cases.

The WHO declared a global health emergency over the virus in August and extended the alert on November 22, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

According to France's health ministry, the individual involved had not travelled to Central Africa, where several variants of the virus have been circulating. However, the person had been in contact with two individuals who had recently returned from the region. Authorities are investigating the source of the infection and tracing all possible contacts.

This year, clade 1b and other variants of Mpox have been reported in 80 countries, including 19 in Africa, as previously noted by the WHO. 

The agency has urged European nations to be ready for "rapid action" to contain the spread of the latest variant.

By Aghakazim Guliyev