UK health chiefs say they are making plans in case a new type of mpox virus is detected in the country – but they emphasise the risk is low. It comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Wednesday that outbreaks in west and central Africa constitute a global health emergency.Mpox, previously known as monkey pox, is a contagious virus that can cause painful skin lesions.Plans are under way to ensure UK healthcare workers are aware of the key signs to look out for and have rapid tests available. A case of mpox has also been detected in Sweden after a person became infected during a stay in an area of Africa where the disease is spreading.One of the main reasons the WHO called for global action against mpox is the emergence of a new type of the virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), known as Clade 1b.This type of mpox has been detected in a growing number of African countries in the past year and there are concerns that it can sometimes cause severe disease and death. Mpox has killed at least 450 people in the DRC. Currently, there are no cases of Clade 1b mpox confirmed in the UK but experts say cases can spread if international action is not taken. Dr Meera Chand, deputy director at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: “The risk to the UK population is currently considered low.”However, planning is under way to prepare for …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnUK health chiefs say they are making plans in case a new type of mpox virus is detected in the country – but they emphasise the risk is low. It comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) declared on Wednesday that outbreaks in west and central Africa constitute a global health emergency.Mpox, previously known as monkey pox, is a contagious virus that can cause painful skin lesions.Plans are under way to ensure UK healthcare workers are aware of the key signs to look out for and have rapid tests available. A case of mpox has also been detected in Sweden after a person became infected during a stay in an area of Africa where the disease is spreading.One of the main reasons the WHO called for global action against mpox is the emergence of a new type of the virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), known as Clade 1b.This type of mpox has been detected in a growing number of African countries in the past year and there are concerns that it can sometimes cause severe disease and death. Mpox has killed at least 450 people in the DRC. Currently, there are no cases of Clade 1b mpox confirmed in the UK but experts say cases can spread if international action is not taken. Dr Meera Chand, deputy director at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: “The risk to the UK population is currently considered low.”However, planning is under way to prepare for …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
