France Detects New Mpox Variant: Cases of HMPV infection have been rare in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. On the other hand, many cases of rabbit fever are also being reported in America. The world was just taking precautions against these virus infections when a new variant of the Mpox virus has arrived in France. The first case of new Mpox virus has been reported in France. Although this virus had arrived in the 70s, its spread had increased again in the year 2022.
“A case of the clade 1b variant has been confirmed and screened in the western Brittany region, weeks after the World Health Organization maintained the highest alert level amid the pandemic,” the country’s health ministry said on Monday (6 January 2025). More measures are being implemented.
This virus is an epidemic in Congo and African countries
Last year, this virus spread widely in African countries. Then the World Health Organization declared it an epidemic. Monkey pox cases are common in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Every year thousands of cases are reported in these areas and hundreds of people lose their lives. Children under 15 years of age are most affected by this. Mainly two strains of the virus are spreading. ‘Clade-I’ is endemic to Central Africa. At the same time, this time the ‘Clade Ib’ of monkey pox spread is new and more contagious. Now this strain has arrived in France.
What is mpox virus?
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox and related to smallpox, is caused by a virus spread to humans by infected animals, but can also be spread from one person to another through close physical contact. This causes fever, muscle pain and large boil-like lesions on the skin and can be fatal.
Also read:
‘Governments have plenty of money for free schemes, but not for judges’ salaries and pensions’: Supreme Court