- Europe is grappling with a new, more dangerous strain of mpox, clade 1, with Ireland reporting the latest case.
- The mpox virus, endemic in Africa, spreads through close contact and causes severe illness, especially in children.
- The disease has spread to six European countries and other parts of the world, with the WHO declaring it a global public health emergency.
- Health authorities are monitoring the situation closely, applying lessons from past outbreaks like Ebola, and advising the public to stay informed.
The recent outbreak of a new strain of mpox, a highly contagious disease, has been causing concern across Europe. The strain, known as clade 1, is believed to be more dangerous than its predecessor, clade II, which caused a global outbreak in 2022. The new strain has been detected in several European countries, with Ireland being the latest to report a case. The Irish patient had recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the epicentre of the outbreak. The DRC has been grappling with the disease since the new strain was detected in 2023, with thousands of people infected. The disease is believed to spread more easily and cause more severe illness among children.
Understanding the Mpox Virus and Its Strains
The mpox virus has two subtypes, clade II and clade I. Clade II is endemic in West Africa and was responsible for the global outbreak in 2022. It continues to spread at low levels in Europe and North America. Clade I, on the other hand, is endemic in Central Africa and is believed to cause more severe illness and a greater risk of death. A subset of the more dangerous strain, known as clade Ib, emerged in the DRC in September 2023 and has since spread widely across the region, particularly in Burundi and Uganda. The severity of mpox caused by clade Ib is still largely unknown, but it appears to spread more easily and is causing more illness among children.
The Spread and Impact of the Disease
The disease spreads through close skin-to-skin contact and can cause a rash, headache, fever, chills, lymph node swelling, and respiratory symptoms. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Africa’s mpox outbreak a global public health emergency in August 2024. At the time, European health authorities warned that cases would likely emerge in Europe as well, though the risk to the public remains low. Outside of Africa, the new strain has been detected in six European countries as well as the United States, Canada, China, India, Oman, Pakistan, and Thailand. In Europe, the countries where the new strain has been found include Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Belgium, and Sweden.
Response and Measures Taken by Countries
In Ireland, the risk to the public remains low following the detection of clade Ib mpox in a person who had recently returned from the DRC. The patient was hospitalised in Dublin. In the United Kingdom, most of the nine reported cases have been travel-related. The most recent infection was a person who had travelled to Uganda. The first cases were in October 2024, when a person got sick after returning from African countries where the strain is circulating and then spread mpox to three members of their household. In September, the UK government bought more than 150,000 doses of mpox vaccine to prepare for potential clade Ib risks, and recently opened vaccination sites across England. In France, someone in the French region of Brittany got mpox after close contact with two people who had travelled from Central Africa. French health authorities said that additional cases linked to countries with mpox outbreaks may emerge on occasion.
The current situation is reminiscent of the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which also started in a remote region and spread to urban areas and other countries, causing more than 11,000 deaths. The lessons learned from that outbreak, including the importance of early detection and intervention, are being applied to the current mpox outbreak.
In conclusion, the new strain of mpox, clade Ib, is causing concern due to its potential for severe illness and death. It has spread to several countries outside of Africa, including six European countries. Health authorities are closely monitoring the situation and taking measures to prevent further spread of the disease. The public is advised to stay informed and follow the advice of health authorities. The lessons from past outbreaks, such as the Ebola outbreak, are being applied to manage the current situation. The importance of early detection and intervention cannot be overstated in managing such outbreaks.