Joint Two Types Of Virus, New Mpox Strain Found In UK

Illustration of signs of being exposed to thempox virus (istockphoto)

JAKARTA - The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) detected a monkeypox or mpox virus strain in a resident who had just returned from Asia. The discovery sparked attention, as the new strain of the virus is the result of genetic mixing of the two main types of thempox virus.

Quoted from the BBC, on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, the two types of the virus are Clade Ib and Clade IIb.lade IIb is a strain responsible for the globalmpox outbreak in 2022.

Meanwhile, HD Ib recently showed signs of local spread in several European countries. Regarding the new strain of the MPX, British health officials are still assessing its significance.

However, assistant professor of medicine at Emory University, Dr. Boghuma Titanji, stated that the new strain is a matter of concern for experts if thempox virus continues to spread around the world.

"We have allowed a lot ofmpox circulation, the more chance the virus has to recombinate and adapt, which further strengthens thempox virus as a human pathogen that will not be lost," said Doctor Titanji.

With the discovery of this new strain, UKHSA emphasized that vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself from severe disease, althoughmpox infections are generally mild for most people.

Then although there has been no specific study of how effective the existing vaccine is on this latest combined strain, experts believe that the level of protection remains high.

Meanwhile, MPX itself is currently still a global threat. Nearly 48 thousand confirmed cases of MPX are recorded globally by 2025, with 2,500 cases occurring in the past month and the majority occurring in Central Africa.

Image: istockphoto