Doctors sound the alarm: mutated monkeypox strain advances on Europe

In Europe, there has been a sharp increase in infections with a mutated mpox strain - a virus previously known as monkeypox.

As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to The Telegraph, specialists note that the infection is increasingly being detected in people who have not traveled or had contact with infected individuals.

"Since August, European countries have recorded at least 46 cases of the clade 1b strain - in Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, and Portugal. For comparison: since this variant began spreading almost two years ago, only 29 cases had been confirmed in the region," the publication reports.

The clade 1b strain was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo in late 2023, where it triggered a major outbreak. It is considered more contagious compared to other virus variants, including clade II, which was rapidly spreading throughout Europe and the USA three years ago, mainly among gay and bisexual men.

The 2022 outbreak affected more than 90,000 people worldwide and led to 220 deaths.

According to WHO consultant Ioannis Karagiannis, at least 14 new cases resulted from local transmission, including household spread. Three patients had neither contact with infected individuals nor a travel history.

Mpox is transmitted through close physical contact, most often during sexual relations. Previously, all cases of clade 1b infection in Europe were linked to travel to Africa.

"The situation in Europe has changed significantly since the end of August. We are observing local spread among people who have not traveled, as well as among men who have sex with men," Karagiannis emphasized.

In the UK and most European countries, the mpox vaccine, which was regularly given to children until the 1970s, is now recommended for gay and bisexual men, healthcare workers in high-risk groups, and people who have had close contact with infected individuals. The vaccination consists of two doses. According to experts, it provides about 80% protection and helps make the disease milder if infection occurs.

"The clade 1b strain can cause more severe forms of the disease: skin rash with pustules, fever, pain syndrome and, in some cases, lead to death. It is also associated with serious complications in pregnant women, including the risk of miscarriage," notes The Guardian.