A first case of the new Mpox variant has been identified in France, the health authorities announced on Monday, who want to be reassuring about the risk of infection for the general population but reiterate the preventive measures for target audiences.
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The Ministry of Labor and Health has been informed “a first human case of clade 1b mpox on the national territory, in Brittany. The recommended management measures have been put in place”indicates to AFP the Ministry of Health in a press release, confirming information from the regional daily Ouest-France.
“The reported case concerns a person who has not traveled to Central Africa, an area in which the different clades of mpox viruses have been actively circulating for several months, including clade 1b”specifies the press release.
“This person was, however, in contact with two people returning from Central Africa, investigations are underway to find the origin of the contamination and identify all the contact persons”he adds.
The ministry recalls that four countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) have identified cases of clade 1b mpox since this summer: Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom and Belgium.
“The risk of Monkeypox clade I infection for the general population in France and Europe is considered low by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)”further notes the press release.
“But sporadic cases, linked to countries with more intense viral circulation, can occur. The occurrence of this case in France was quickly detected thanks to the surveillance system in place.”
According to Ouest-France, the woman who tested positive for mpox clade 1b lives in Brittany and was diagnosed at Rennes University Hospital. She “would be doing well”says the daily without citing a source.
Mpox is characterized by skin lesions, such as pustules, high fever and muscle pain.
Identified for the first time in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 1970, the disease remained confined to around ten African countries for a long time.
But in 2022, it began to spread to the rest of the world, particularly developed countries where the virus had never circulated.
Two concurrent epidemics are occurring, one caused by clade 1 in Central Africa, mainly affecting children, and another by the new variant, clade 1b, which affects adults in another region, in eastern DRC. , and in neighboring countries.
In November, the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to maintain its highest level of alert regarding the epidemic, due to the increase in cases and the countries concerned.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is by far the country most affected by this virus, formerly called “monkey pox”.
In 2024, 215 cases of mpox, all due to clade 2b, were declared to Public Health France, with an average of 3 cases declared per week at the end of the year.
Health authorities remind “the importance of vaccination for high-risk populations – including men having homosexual relationships with multiple partners, or sex workers – and as a reactive measure for contact cases. People with close ties to Central African countries where the mpox virus is actively circulating can also be vaccinated.the authorities further indicate.
