New mpox variant detected in Pakistan, prompting calls for vigilance and increased measures

A new case of mpox has been reported in Pakistan, following a case in Sweden. Authorities are working to confirm if it's a worrying new variant, days after the WHO declared the virus's spread a global health emergency.

A health worker attends to a girl suffering from mpox, at a treatment centre in Munigi, eastern Congo, Friday, Aug. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa) Source: AP / Moses Sawasawa/AP

Key Points

• The World Health Organisation's Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the rapid spread of the Clade 1b strain an international public health emergency, its highest alert level.
• The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has updated its recommendations, urging travellers to consider getting vaccinated against mpox if they will be visiting affected areas in Africa.
• No new cases of the new strain of mpox have been reported down under so far. But there has been a surge in the relatively milder strain already present in Australia.