China discovers new strain of mpox; all you need to know about clade 1b

Chinese health authorities have reported the detection of a new mutated mpox strain, clade Ib, as the viral infection spreads to more countries. The World Health Organization declared mpox a global public health emergency last year.

On Thursday, China’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the detection of this new mpox strain.

"Recently, a cluster outbreak of monkeypox virus subclade Ib was discovered in the country. The source of infection was a foreigner with a history of living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. After the outbreak was discovered, the state and provinces (cities) such as Zhejiang, Guangdong, Beijing, and Tianjin quickly launched a joint prevention and control mechanism to carry out epidemiological investigations, tracing, risk assessment, case diagnosis, and treatment. Four related cases were found among close contacts, all of whom were infected through close contact. The related cases mainly showed symptoms such as rash and herpes, and the symptoms were relatively mild. Currently, no infected individuals have been found among general contacts. The infected individuals and those at risk are receiving medical treatment and health observation, and the epidemic has been effectively managed," the China CDC stated.

About Mpox

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a viral infection caused by the mpox virus (MPXV), which belongs to the same family as smallpox. It causes flu-like symptoms along with pus-filled lesions on the body. According to the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the new strain, clade Ib, has a lower case fatality rate than clade Ia mpox. However, clade Ib appears to spread more easily.

Mpox Symptoms

Symptoms of mpox include fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes. Within a few days, a rash typically appears, starting as flat red spots that evolve into fluid-filled blisters or pustules before crusting over and falling off. Mpox symptoms usually last 2-4 weeks.