Health First detection of new Mpox variant in Switzerland
The first case of the new Mpox variant Klade Ib has been detected in Switzerland. The affected person has been isolated, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) announced on Tuesday. There is no risk of infection for those around the person.
08.04.2025, 16:01
08.04.2025, 16:25
SDA
According to the FOPH, the infected person is a traveler who has returned from Africa. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), clade Ib is more contagious and more dangerous than earlier variants of the disease previously known as monkeypox.
Clade Ib has been spreading in several African countries for several months. In mid-August last year, the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern. At the end of February, the organization decided to maintain the international health emergency.
The number of cases is rising and the virus is spreading, according to the WHO. Containment is being hampered by fighting in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, from where the new variant, clade Ib, has been spreading since 2024.
