Britain has rushed to stockpile vials of Mpox vaccines amid fears a new strain of the virus may have already spread to the UK.
Health officials have been told to look out for cases of the disease after officials in Sweden confirmed a deadly strain of the virus had breached its borders.
Following the emergence of the confirmed case, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control was forced to raise its risk level and the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global health emergency – its highest alert.
The new strain, ‘Clade 1b’ is a “more severe” strain of the virus which sparked panic in 2022 and also has a “higher mortality” rate.
Britain rushes to stockpile Mpox vaccines as expert claims virus ‘very likely’ infiltrated UKGettyProfessor Paul Hunter told Sky News it is “very likely” that the virus had entered the UK already.
“When someone gets an infection it typically takes several days before they develop the classic appearance that would make people think 'oh, this is Mpox',” Professor Hunter said.
“Then it can take longer before the samples are taken and sent to the lab, it's identified as Mpox and sent for sequencing so we know which clade of Mpox it is.”
Mpox symptoms usually appear within 5-21 days and start with flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes.
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Christian Musema, a laboratory nurse, takes a sample from a child declared a suspected case of Mpox ReutersWithin a few days, a rash appears, often beginning on the face and spreading to other parts of the body.
This rash evolves from flat spots to fluid-filled blisters, which eventually scab over and fall off.
The rash can be painful and itchy and might be mistaken for other conditions like chickenpox.
Mpox can spread in various ways but is primarily spread via person-to-person contact.
It can also spread through respiratory droplets if you are close to someone who is sick.