An NHS GP has warned of the "horrid" side effects of the latest variant of mpox, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the spread of the virus was "very worrying".
The more contagious strain, known as clade 1b, emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo and its first case outside of Africa has now been confirmed in Sweden.
Symptoms include a high temperature, muscle aches, headache, backache, swollen glands, exhaustion, joint pain and a rash.
Speaking to GB News, NHS GP Dr David Lloyd urged for the outbreaks to be "taken more seriously" as he outlined the potential severity of the virus.
Mpox symptoms include a high temperature, muscle aches, headache, backache, swollen glands, exhaustion, joint pain and a rash
Getty / GB News
Lloyd explained: "The WHO declared an emergency, so I think we should take it seriously.
"Part of declaring an emergency means that hopefully, we can galvanise the resources of the richer countries in the world to try and help the poorer ones."
When asked by GB News host Ellie Costello how dangerous the new variant of mpox can be, Lloyd revealed that 10 per cent of those who caught the virus with the less contagious variant, Clade 2, needed to be admitted to hospital.
Lloyd explained: "It is a very nasty illness, and this variant is meant to be worse, particularly in children.
WHO have declared mpox a 'national emergency' as Sweden confirmed its first case of the variant
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"Even if you get the mild disease, it is pretty horrid. You're covered in spots and can't even drink for a while."
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Detailing how mpox is spread, Lloyd claimed that the most "high risk" method of spreading the virus is by "skin to skin contact".
Lloyd told GB News: "It spreads in lots of different ways, you can spread it in the atmosphere by droplets and the scabs that fall off.
"The rash arrives and blisters, and then the scabs fall off, and the scabs themselves are intensely infectious. And then there is the sexual spread, which is because of skin to skin contact.
"So there are high risk groups who do spread it by the contact method too."
Dr David Lloyd urged for the variant to be 'taken more seriously' as a global emergency is declared
GB News
Highlighting the "most at risk" of possible infection from the outbreaks, Dr Lloyd stressed that "children, pregnant women" and "those with weaker immune systems" are of higher risk of contracting the virus.
World Health Organisation director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak in DRC a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) on Wednesday.
Dr Tedros said: “The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying.
“On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a co-ordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”