France has confirmed its first case of the new, more transmissible variant of the mpox virus.
The Ministry of Health announced the infection in a press release on Monday evening following an article in the regional newspaper Ouest-France.
The new variant, clade 1b, was detected in the northwestern region of Brittany. The Ministry of Health said the necessary protective measures have been implemented.
The clade 1b variant was first identified recently in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Kenya. It has since been reported in Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and several Asian countries. Belgium confirmed a case at the end of December. France is now the ninth non-African country to report an infection.
Mpox is a viral disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans and through close physical contact. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and a skin rash.
Initially identified in laboratory monkeys in Denmark in 1958, the disease was previously known as monkeypox. In areas where the virus occurs naturally, such as parts of Africa, rodents are the primary carriers.
