Britain became the fifth country outside of Africa to confirm a case of the clade Ib form of the mpox virus that has triggered global concern as it seems to be spreading quickly and little is known about the strain.
The World Health Organization declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years in August, following an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighboring countries.
The following are the countries with confirmed cases of clade Ib mpox:
GERMANY
The first case of the new mpox variant has been detected in Germany, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for public health said on Tuesday, adding that it viewed the risk to the wider population as low.
BRITAIN
Britain has detected its first case of new mpox variant clade Ib, the country's health security agency (UKHSA) said, adding that the risk to the population remained low.
The case, in a patient who had recently travelled to affected countries in Africa, was detected in London and the individual has been transferred to a specialist hospital, the UKHSA said.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
Two strains of mpox are spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo - the endemic clade I and the new clade Ib, which spreads more easily through close contact, including sexual.
As of Oct. 27, DRC has seen a total of 8,607 cases and 25 deaths in 2024. The country has confirmed 1,878 cases of mpox in the past six weeks, according to WHO data.
SWEDEN
Global health officials on August 15 confirmed an infection with a new strain of the mpox virus in Sweden, the first sign of its spread outside the African continent.
Swedish health officials said at a press conference that the person was infected while in Africa with the clade Ib type of mpox involved in the recent outbreak. The person is receiving treatment.
THAILAND
An mpox case reported in Thailand was confirmed to be of the clade Ib strain of the virus, the first in the country, a disease control official said on Aug. 22.
The case was first reported on Aug. 21, and Thailand had said it was a 66-year-old European man who had arrived from an African country where the disease was spreading.
INDIA
India said that an mpox case involving a traveller in the southern state of Kerala was from the fast-spreading clade 1b variety, marking the country's first recorded case from the new strain.
The patient is a 38-year-old man who had travelled from the United Arab Emirates, Kerala authorities had said last week.
BURUNDI
As of Oct. 27, Burundi recorded 1,509 cases of clade Ib mpox with zero deaths. The country reported 945 cases of clade Ib mpox in the past six weeks, according to WHO data.
KENYA
As of Oct. 27, Kenya's has confirmed 14 case of clade Ib mpox with one death, according to WHO data.
RWANDA
As of Oct. 23, six confirmed clade Ib mpox cases and zero deaths had cumulatively been reported by the country, according to WHO data.
UGANDA
As of Oct. 27, Uganda has identified 220 cases of clade Ib mpox, with one death, according to WHO data. The cases are among the first confirmed mpox cases identified in the country.
