the new clade 1b variant detected for the first time in France

A person has been diagnosed as carrying the clade 1b subvariant of the mpox virus in France. This is a first on French territory, while the vast majority of cases are on the African continent.

A first. A person has been diagnosed in France as a carrier of the clade 1b sub-variant of the mpox virus, considered more contagious and more dangerous, which is unprecedented, health authorities announced this Monday, January 6, confirming information from Ouest-France.

Mpox is a viral disease that spreads from animals to humans, but is also transmitted through close physical contact with a person infected with the virus. By 2022, the global epidemic, carried by clade 2, had spread to around a hundred countries where the disease was not endemic.

United Kingdom, Germany…

Currently, the clade 1b variant has been experiencing a resurgence in the Democratic Republic of Congo since September 2023. But other cases have been identified outside the continent. First in Sweden on August 15, then in Germany on October 22, but also in the United Kingdom on October 30. These were imported cases, infections that took place outside the national territory.

This sub-variant is considered at this stage to be more contagious and with a higher fatality rate. It appears to cause rashes all over the body, whereas previous strains were characterized by localized rashes and lesions on the mouth, face or genitals.

Faced with this epidemic, the French health authorities had updated their vaccination recommendations; recommending a booster dose for targeted people (men who have sex with men, sex workers, trans people with multiple partners), having already been vaccinated during the first epidemic.