THE lethal mpox virus that has spread to Europe is mutating into new strains faster than expected, scientists say. This makes it hard for experts to track how serious and contagious the new bugs are, complicating the response. 3 Scientists warn the mpox virus is mutating fasting than ever before Credit: Reuters Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has been circulating in parts of Africa since 1970.
It only received global attention when the clade 2 version of the virus spread internationally to over 100 countries in 2022. This prompted the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare a global health emergency that ended ten months later. A new strain of the virus, known as clade Ib, has the world’s attention again after the WHO declared a new health emergency .
Read more on mpox JAB FEARS Mpox jabs might not protect against deadly new strain spreading rapidly POX ALERT Spain on 'high alert' as major airport to enforce controls to stop mpox spread It's thought the new bug is far deadlier and more contagious than its predecessor. The strain is a mutated version of clade I, a form of mpox spread by direct contact with infected animals that have been endemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DCR) for decades. The new clade 1b virus is transmitted through close contact, such as sex, or skin-to-skin contact with another person.
Congo has had more than 18,000 suspected clade I and clade Ib mpox cases and 615 deaths this year, according to the WHO. Most read in Health SPOT OF BOTHER.