Fifth case of new deadly mpox strain detected in UK – with NO link to other patients
A CASE of the new, mutant strain of mpox has been detected in Leeds, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has announced.
The new infection brings the number of confirmed cases of the virus in the UK, identified as clade 1b, to five.
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This case has no links to previous cases identified that were all from the same household.
They have all now fully recovered, UKHSA said.
The unnamed patient is believed to have contracted the bug while on holiday in Uganda, which has been affected by the outbreak.
The new mpox variant is different from the ones circulating in the UK since 2022 and is thought to cause more severe disease.
The infected patient has since been moved to the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where they are receiving treatment.
Health officials are now racing to trace close contacts of the patient.