LONDON: British health officials say they have identified four cases of the new, more infectious version of mpox that first emerged in Congo, marking the first time the variant has caused a cluster of illness outside of Africa. Scientists said the risk to the public remains low.
Authorities announced the first case of the new form of mpox in the UK last week, saying the case was being treated at a London hospital after recently traveling to countries in Africa with ongoing outbreaks.
This week, the UK Health Security Agency said it had now identified three further cases who lived in the same household as the first patient. They too are now being treated at a hospital in London.
“Mpox is very infectious in households with close contact and so it is not unexpected to see further cases within the same household,” said Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser of the UK Health Security Agency.
The new variant of mpox was first detected earlier this year in eastern Congo. Scientists believe it causes milder symptoms that are harder to notice, which makes it easier to spread because people may not know they are infected. Its spread in Congo and elsewhere in Africa prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global emergency in August.
Britain recorded more than 3,000 cases of another type of mpox during a 2022 outbreak that hit more than 100 countries.
The new variant of mpox has also caused outbreaks in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Single cases in travelers have also been reported in Sweden, India, Germany and Thailand.
To date, there have been about 43,000 suspect cases of mpox in Africa, including more than 1,000 deaths, mostly in Congo.
On Wednesday, WHO said it had allocated 899,900 vaccine doses to nine African countries struggling with mpox epidemics.
UK identifies 4 cases of new mpox variant, the first cluster outside Africa
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UK identifies 4 cases of new mpox variant, the first cluster outside Africa
- Scientists believe it causes milder symptoms that are harder to notice, which makes it easier to spread because people may not know they are infected
UK tells Abramovich to give Chelsea sale cash to Ukraine or face court
- Britain wants the funds spent only on humanitarian causes in Ukraine
- Starmer said Britain would issue a license to release the funds
LONDON: Britain on Wednesday said it was giving Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich a final chance to give Ukraine 2.5 billion pounds ($3.33 billion) from the sale of Chelsea Football Club or face potential legal action.
Britain sanctioned Abramovich in a crackdown on Russian oligarchs after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, triggering a rushed sale of the Premier League soccer club and freezing of the proceeds.
Britain wants the funds spent only on humanitarian causes in Ukraine, in line with a wider European push for Moscow to foot the bill for deaths and destruction triggered by its invasion.
Reuters was not immediately able to reach representatives for Abramovich for a response to the government statement. He has previously sought more flexibility and said he wants the money to go to all victims. Abramovich has 90 days to act under the terms of the government’s new license.
Should the Russian businessman fail to free the funds quickly, the government said in a statement that it was fully prepared to take him to court if necessary to enforce a 2022 agreement with him.
“It’s unacceptable that more than 2.5 billion pounds of money owed to the Ukrainian people can be allowed to remain frozen in a UK bank account,” finance minister Rachel Reeves said in the statement.
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Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain would issue a license to release the funds. This would allow the transfer of the money to a new charitable foundation.
“We will consider any proposal from Mr.Abramovich to make use of this clear legal route to establish the foundation and transfer the funds under the terms of the license,” Reeves said in a separate statement issued to parliament.
European Union leaders are set to review on Thursday proposals aimed at using proceeds from immobilized Russian sovereign assets to support Ukraine’s huge budget and defense needs — something Moscow fiercely opposes.
Under Abramovich, Chelsea enjoyed the most successful run in their history before the club were sold to a consortium led by US investor Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital in May 2022.
Proceeds from the sale are frozen in a British bank account. They cannot be moved or used without a license from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, the agency in the finance ministry that enforces sanctions.
