The woman infected with clade 1b mpox did not travel to Central Africa, a region in which the different variants of the virus have been actively circulating for several months, the Ministry of Health said on Monday.
Published on 06/01/2025 22:31
Reading time: 1min
A first case of the new variant of the mpox virus, previously called monkeypox, has been identified in France, according to a press release published Monday January 6 by the Ministry of Labor, Health, Solidarity and Families. This first human case of clade 1b mpox on French territory was diagnosed in a woman in Brittany, at the Rennes hospital, as reported West France. “The reported case concerns a person who has not traveled to Central Africa”specifies the ministry. It is in this region that the different variants of the Mpox virus have been actively circulating for several months.
“This person, however, was in contact with two people returning from Central Africa, investigations are underway to search for the origin of the contamination and identify all the contact persons at risk around the diagnosed case”continues the ministry. This variant, called clade I b, has also been detected in Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom and Belgium since the summer of 2024.
The risk of infection by mpox clade 1 for the general population in France and Europe “is considered low by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)”further underlines the press release. “Health authorities recall the importance of vaccination for target audiences“, insists the ministry.
