UK Health Agency Identifies New Mpox Strain in England
London, UK, December 9, 2025
Public Health Alert: UK Health Agency Identifies New Mpox Strain in England, Highlighting Viral Evolution and Global Circulation
Headline Points:
• The UK Health Agency (UKHSA) has Identifies a New Mpox Strain in England in a patient with recent travel history to Asia.
• The new variant is a ‘recombinant’ strain, combining genetic material from both the more severe Clade Ib and the milder Clade IIb mpox subtypes.
• Scientists warn that the emergence of this ‘hybrid’ virus is precisely what experts feared would happen if global spread was not decisively contained.
• The discovery highlights the continuous potential for the mpox virus to evolve, with unknown implications for transmissibility and severity.
• The UKHSA is urging eligible groups to come forward for mpox vaccination as part of its enhanced genomic surveillance program.
In a worrying development for global public health, the UK Health Agency Identifies New Mpox Strain in England, found in an individual who had recently traveled from Asia.
The virus, previously known as Monkeypox, has displayed a concerning capability for evolution, with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirming that the new variant is a ‘recombinant’ strain.
Genomic sequencing revealed the presence of genetic elements from both the more severe Clade Ib and the milder Clade IIb mpox subtypes, a viral combination that scientists warn is “precisely what experts in the field feared would happen” if global circulation continued unchecked.
This event underscores the fact that mpox is not a fading threat but a constantly evolving pathogen that demands rigorous global surveillance.
The identification of this new mpox strain in the UK is the direct result of the nation’s enhanced genomic testing capabilities, which are crucial for tracking the virus’s adaptation.
Experts, including Professor Trudie Lang from the University of Oxford, have expressed serious concern that a recombinant virus could potentially alter the pathogen’s behavior—specifically its transmissibility or virulence.
The Clade Ib variant, which has been circulating widely in parts of Africa, has already demonstrated changes in transmission, moving beyond animal-to-human contact to more frequent person-to-person spread, including close and sexual contact.
The unknown properties of this hybrid Clade Ib/IIb strain necessitate an immediate, comprehensive risk assessment.
The patient is being managed under isolation protocols, and an intensive contact tracing effort is underway to prevent any secondary transmission of the new mpox strain in England.
The UKHSA has emphasized that while mpox infection is often mild for many, it can still cause severe illness, characterized by a distinct skin rash, fever, headache, and muscle aches.
The immediate public health focus remains on proactive prevention. The UK Health Agency is reiterating its call for all individuals who are eligible, particularly gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men—a population disproportionately affected in the 2022-2024 outbreaks—to come forward for mpox vaccination.
The continued presence and evolution of the virus highlights that the global goal must be more than just containment; it must be decisive action to reduce its foothold as a human pathogen.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has been immediately updated on the UKHSA’s finding. While the WHO lifted its public health emergency status for mpox last year following a decline in cases, the emergence of this recombinant strain serves as a profound warning that a decisive, sustained global response is critical.
Experts caution that every day the virus is allowed to circulate, it gains more opportunities to recombine and adapt, further entrenching it as a persistent threat.
The vigilance of the UK Health Agency in identifying this new strain is commendable, but the underlying vulnerability to viral evolution remains a deep international concern.
