Eighth case of ‘Clade LB’ variant of mpox reported in UK

London: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said that another case of the monkeypox (mpox) variant ‘clade LB’ has been reported in England, the eighth case confirmed in the country since October last year.

According to a report by foreign news agencies, the government agency says that the risk to the population is low. The Clade LB variant is a new form of the virus, which is related to the global health emergency declared by the WHO in August.

The UKHSA said that the new case has been reported in London in a patient who had recently returned from Uganda, where this type of community transmission is being seen, but it is not linked to previous cases identified in England.

In the context of the spread in parts of Africa, the Health Security Agency expected to see the occasional imported case of Clade LB monkeypox in the UK.

The first case was reported in London in October, with the subsequent three cases involving household contacts of the patient. A fifth case was later reported in Leeds in October, with the remaining cases detected in January.