LONDON, Dec 8, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said 
Monday it had identified a new strain of the mpox virus in England in a 
person who had recently travelled to Asia.

"Our genomic testing has enabled us to detect this new mpox strain," said 
Katy Sinka from the UKHSA, a government agency responsible for preventing and 
controlling the spread of infectious diseases.

The agency said it would continue to "assess the significance of the strain", 
which had elements of both mpox subtypes: the more severe clade 1, and clade 
2.

"Genomic sequencing showed that the mpox genome contained elements of clade 
Ib and IIb mpox," the UKHSA said.

Mpox, previously known as Monkeypox, is a viral infection related to 
smallpox, causing fever, body aches and distinct skin lesions and can be 
deadly.

It can be transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed 
between people through close physical contact.

"It's normal for viruses to evolve, and further analysis will help us 
understand more about how mpox is changing," said Sinka.

"It is of concern that there is an mpox case in the UK, and of further 
concern that it is a new recombinant mpox virus," said Trudie Lang, a 
University of Oxford researcher and the director of the Global Health 
Network.

"This case highlights that mpox is circulating globally and is evolving, as 
predictable with these viruses."

Mpox was declared a public health emergency in August 2024 by the World 
Health Organization (WHO), after a two-pronged mpox epidemic broke out, 
primarily in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The WHO lifted the status in September after a sustained decline in cases and 
deaths.

Lang explains that the virus has evolved, with previous strains being 
transmitted mainly from animals to humans.

An outbreak in Europe in 2022 was limited to close sexual transmission, 
mainly affecting gay and bisexual men, whereas the latest outbreak of clade 
1b in 2024 was transmitted through close contact as well as sexual relations.

"The identification of a recombinant mpox strain containing elements of both 
clade I and clade II is precisely what experts in the field feared would 
happen," said Boghuma Titanji, assistant professor of medicine at Emory 
University.

This year until the end of October, nearly 48,000 confirmed mpox cases 
worldwide have been reported to the WHO, including 201 deaths, from 94 
countries.

The UK has an mpox vaccination programme for eligible groups, including 
people with multiple sexual partners and those who participate in group sex.

A "low level" of mpox cases have been identified in the UK since 2022, when 
clade 2 spread around the world.