GHealth News – France has confirmed its first case of a new variant of mpox, as reported by the AFP news agency on Monday, citing a statement from the French Ministry of Health. The patient, who had not traveled to Central Africa—the origin of the new virus strain—had been in contact with two individuals who had recently returned from the region. Authorities are currently investigating the source of the infection and tracing all potential contacts.
The patient, a woman, was diagnosed in Rennes, located in the northwestern Brittany region, as reported by the French regional newspaper Ouest France. The new variant, known as the clade 1b variant, is associated with the global health emergency declared by the World Health Organization in August. Germany and Britain also reported their first cases of this variant in October.
