First case of new Mpox variant recorded in France

INA-  sources


The first case of a new variant of Mpox (previously called monkeypox) has been confirmed in France.

The patient was treated at Rennes hospital in Brittany and is said to be in a stable condition. It is reported to be a woman in her mid-30s, the country’s health ministry confirmed last night.

It brings the number of recent cases of the ‘clade 1b’ variant of the disease in Europe to three, although four European countries (not including France) were confirmed to have cases in summer 2024.

The clade 1b variant is said to be among the most contagious and fatal of the variants of Mpox, which can be spread between humans as well as transmitted by animals to humans.

The World Health Organization has declared a health emergency – the highest level possible – over the disease, mainly due to its rapid spread in central Africa.

However, the current risk of general transmission in Europe of the more common clade 1 variant is low, says the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Patient had not travelled to Mpox hotspot
“The reported case [in France] concerns a person who has not travelled to central Africa, an area in which the various clades of the Mpox virus have been circulating actively for several months,” said the ministry in a statement sent to the French press association (quoted by Le Figaro). 

“This person has, however, been in contact with two people who have just returned from central Africa, and investigations are underway to determine the source of the contamination and identify all contacts,” it adds.

France has recently reported four cases of Mpox (of all variants) in the last nine days, and reported 215 cases last year. 

A spike in cases was expected last summer/autumn, but there was little expectation of a wider spread of the disease. 

Read more: Mpox: France is preparing for ‘a few clusters’ of cases

In addition to clade 1 groups mentioned above, there are a number of clade 2 variants of the disease, which contributed to many European cases in 2022 and 2023, but has since died down on the continent.

People in France can request a vaccine against Mpox if they belong to a certain group of people, including homosexual men, transgender people, and prostitutes/sex workers. 

They must either have a note from a healthcare professional declaring they are eligible for the vaccine, or self-declare they belong to one of the listed groups.


SOURCE: Connexion