Health leaders issue MPOX guidance to schools – as new data shows 50% of cases occur in children

Health authorities in England have issued new guidance for schools and nurseries on what to do if they discover a case of mpox.

The document warns education and healthcare providers of possible cases of a new, deadlier and more contagious variant of the virus that spread through the UK in 2022.

The new strain, called clade 1b, is currently sweeping through Central Africa and has already reached parts of Europe. Some experts predict that the strain has probably already reached the United Kingdom.

The authorities’ warning comes after new data from the African Centre for Disease Control showed that children are the main victims of what the World Health Organization is calling a “public health emergency”.

Data from the organization shows that more than half of the cases reported in Africa since January, about 58 percent, have occurred in children under the age of 15.

According to UKHSA guidance, educational institutions and childcare providers should contact them about MPOX cases among staff, children or their families.

The document states that a small number of mpox cases have been recorded in the UK since 2022, but these are of the milder clade 2 strain.

But now an extra section has been added on the strain causing concern around the world. While no cases have been found in Britain, officials say that is only ‘so far’.

‘There have been no cases of the potentially more serious type of mpox (called clade 1 mpox) in the UK,’ it says.

‘So far, this type of mpox has mainly been found in countries in West, Central and East Africa.’

Experts have told MailOnline it could be weeks before the virus, previously known as monkeypox, is detected in Britain.

Europe has already been reached. Swedish authorities confirmed a case last month.

UKHSA officials further write that the risk of contracting mpox in the UK is low and that most people infected with the virus recover within a few weeks.

However, they add that mpox may be more serious in certain groups, including children under five years of age.

According to UKHSA guidelines, mpox does not generally spread easily between people, but possible routes of transmission include direct skin-to-skin contact, contact with the clothing or bedding of an infected person, or a patient’s cough or sneeze.

Officials conclude their guideline by noting that schools and daycare centers should ban people with MPOX until the children have received the green light from their doctor.

The new guidance comes after data from the African CDC showed that in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the worst-affected country so far, 58 percent of cases are in people under the age of 15.

Data from Burundi also show this pattern: 54 percent of cases are in children.

Overall, the MPOX outbreak in Africa continues to grow rapidly, with nearly 25,000 cases reported between January and September 5 this year.

This is 104 percent more compared to the same period in 2023.

In total, some 25,000 cases have been registered, but only 5,500 have been confirmed by laboratory tests. This is due to a lack of resources in the affected countries.

A total of 643 deaths have been recorded, the vast majority (99 percent) of which occurred in the DRC.

A woman cares for her baby who suffers from a severe form of mpox in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

The new variant of mpox, previously called monkeypox, is much deadlier than the mild strain that spread to more than a dozen countries, including the United Kingdom, in 2022.

It is estimated that about one in twenty adults die from it, but in children the death rate is one in ten.

By comparison, clade 2 killed only about one in every 500 people who became infected.

Although both variants are spread through sexual contact, the virus can also be spread through direct contact, such as cleaning or sharing clothes and bedding.

According to experts, mortality rates for clade 1b in Central Africa are unlikely to be comparable to those in developed countries such as the United Kingdom, due to greater access to higher quality health care.

UKHSA has warned it is ‘already planning’ for cases of the new variant in the UK.

Mpox is usually ccauses characteristic lumpy lesions, as well as fever, aches and fatigue.

In a small number of cases it can spread to the blood and lungs, but also to other parts of the body, such as the brain, where it can become life-threatening.

UKHSA was contacted for comment.