This is information revealed by our colleagues from Ouest-France, then confirmed by the Ministry of Health in a press release dated January 7 (Source 1). A person has been diagnosed in France as carrier of the clade 1b subvariant of the mpox virusformerly called “monkey pox”. This sub-variant, resulting from the original clade 1 strain, had not so far not been detected in France.
The reported case, detected in Brittany, concerns a person who has not recently traveled to Central Africa, “zone in which the different clades of mpox viruses have been actively circulating for several months, including clade I b”, detail the health authorities. “However, this person was 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 at risk around the diagnosed case.”, add the authorities.
For the moment, only four countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) have so far identified this sub-variant since the summer of 2024: Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom and Belgium.
Until now in France, since the 2022 epidemic, it is essentially clade 2b of the Monkeypox virus, or Mpox, which is circulating, quietly, in France, with 215 cases of mpox, all due to clade 2bdeclared in 2024.
However, and although this clade 1b either considered more contagious and with a higher case fatality ratethe strategy to combat the mpox virus is not changing, the authorities clarified. Which is based on several key axes: surveillance, prevention, diagnosis, management of cases and contact persons, free vaccination of target audiences and contact persons.
Vaccination is recommended as a preventive measure in pre-exposure for people at high risk of exposure, and as a reactive measure for contact persons at risk around a case of mpox, remind the authorities.
As for travelers coming from or going to Central Africa, the application of barrier gestures is strongly recommended, namely frequent and careful washing of hands, avoidance of contact with people affected by or presenting skin lesions suggestive of mpox infection, as well as with animals, particularly rodents.
