(AmericanProsperity.com) – The world is bracing for a potential new health emergency after France’s health ministry confirmed the country’s first case of a new mpox variant.
This alarming development comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) maintains its highest alert level for the mpox epidemic.
The infected individual is a woman diagnosed in Brittany at a hospital in Rennes.
She contracted the virus even though she had not traveled to central Africa, where the variant originated.
However, she had been in contact with two people who recently returned from the region, highlighting how easily the virus can spread among people.
This case brings the total number of EU cases to eight as Sweden, Germany, Belgium and the UK have reported infections.
The quick spread across European borders has raised concerns due to the new variant’s effects.
The mpox virus, formerly known as monkeypox, is related to smallpox and can be transmitted from animals to humans and between humans through close contact.
Symptoms include fever, muscular aches, and large boil-like skin lesions. In severe cases, it can be fatal.
The variant detected in France is known as clade 1b. This new variant is a subtype of clade I that is more severe than clade II, which was responsible for the 2022 global outbreak.
Although the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control declared that the risk to the general European population is low, this new case in France serves as a reminder of the ongoing threat.
The WHO’s decision to maintain its highest alert level for mpox, coupled with the emergence of this new variant in Europe, underscores a widespread concern about containing the virus’ spread.
As investigations continue to trace the infection’s origin and identify all contacts, this case serves as a wake-up call for governments worldwide.
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