The deadly new strain of mpox causing chaos around the globe is “very likely” to already be in the UK, an expert has warned.
But, speaking to Sky News, Professor Paul Hunter said that it was going to be a “few weeks” before we know for sure. The new strain – dubbed Clade 1B – of the rare disease was confirmed in a traveller arriving in Sweden this week.
The development has put health chiefs in Europe on high alert, though experts believe widespread transmission is unlikely.
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Despite a low risk to the general public, professionals are still urging people to take precautions. These include avoiding physical contact with anyone displaying skin lesions, not sharing person items like cutlery, clothes, or bedding, and maintaining good hygiene practices including regular hand washing.
Unlike airborne viruses such as swine flu and Covid-19 — which can spread even without symptoms — Mpox primarily spreads through direct skin contact. Formerly known as monkeypox, it typically causes visible skin lesions, which naturally discourage close contact.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
And when asked by Sky News about it, Professor Hunter said: “’When someone gets an infection it typically takes several days before they develop the classic appearance that would make people think ‘oh, this is mpox’.
“Then it can take longer before the samples are taken and sent to the lab, it’s identified as mpox and sent for sequencing so we know which clade of mpox it is.”
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And although morality rate is “quite high” in Africa, it is thought that it will be “much lower” when it spreads through Europe.
He added: “One of the ways you reduce the mortality rate is by providing really good supportive care – as long as you can keep people alive until they can better of their own accord . . . that’s really effective at reducing mortality.”
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