“No contamination” has been reported at this stage in France, according to the Ministry of Health

As the ministry points out, the risk of infection in Europe “is considered low to date”. “This does not prevent it from being likely that cases will be declared in France”, it warns however.

The resurgence of cases of MPOX, caused by a new variant (clade 1b), has not yet affected France. “Today, in France, no contamination by clade I has yet been identified,” announced the Ministry of Labor, Health and Solidarity on Saturday, August 17. “Since the 2022 epidemic, it is the clade 2 virus that has been circulating quietly, with a monthly number of reported cases varying between 12 and 26 between January and June 2024. The reported cases are mostly mild and no deaths have been reported,” is it specified.

The ministry adds that “The national reference center is however mobilized to analyze the type of strains in people for whom a diagnosis of mpox has been established”. “TheSince the 2022 epidemic (active circulation of clade II), the State has had an effective response strategy to an MPOX epidemic, in terms of prevention, rapid diagnosis, case and contact management and vaccination”, assures the Ministry of Health.

As the ministry’s press release recalls, the risk of infection in Europe “is considered weak to date” by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), but “This does not prevent it from being probable that cases will be declared in France.” A case of the new variant of mpox has been identified in Sweden, the Swedish public health agency announced on Thursday. This is a first outside the African continent.

A total of 18,737 suspected or confirmed cases of mpox have been reported in Africa since the beginning of the year, including 1,200 in one week, according to the African Union health agency (Africa CDC) on Saturday. The Africa CDC said several variants of the virus have been identified. The resurgence of MPOX prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a public health emergency of international concern on Wednesday, the highest level of alarm.

MPOX, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that spreads from animals to humans, but is also transmitted through close physical contact with a person infected with the virus.

The Ministry of Health reminds that since July 2022, a specific listening device for the mpox virus, responsible in particular for informing, advising and directing towards care systems, has been available. Monkeypox info service is accessible 7 days a week, from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., on the toll-free number 0 801 90 80 69.