Clade Ia and Ib mpox has been downgraded from a high consequence infectious disease in the UK, public health officials have confirmed.
A review by the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens found that clade I mpox no longer meets the criteria as a high consequence infectious disease defined as having a high mortality rate and a lack of available interventions.
Health professionals have been informed of the change, but it should not be interpreted as meaning the infection does not have ‘public health consequence’, the UK Health Security Agency said.
Mpox remains a public health emergency of international concern and is still an urgent notifiable disease.
Those working in primary care, sexual health and emergency departments should remain vigilant to cases and have a ‘clinical pathway for appropriate isolation and management of suspected mpox cases within their setting’, the updated guidance said.
The UK’s strategic goal ‘continues to be to eliminate person-to-person transmission of mpox in the UK’.
This will include ongoing public health management of cases and contacts, including vaccination where appropriate, UKHSA confirmed.
There have been no reported deaths from mpox in the UK to date, and vaccination is available for higher risk contacts, healthcare workers, and those who are most at risk.
Emma Richards, UKHSA incident director, said: ‘There is now firm evidence of vaccine effectiveness and a low mortality rate for cases of clade I mpox, alongside heightened clinical awareness of symptoms, and access to rapid diagnostic testing and safe therapies with emerging evidence of efficacy.
‘This change does not alter our overall public health response and we remain committed to preventing the spread of clade I mpox within the UK.’
All four UK chief medical officers have agreed to accept the recommendation from the advisory committee.
To date there have been no cases of clade Ia mpox in the UK, and only a small number of cases of clade Ib mpox.
Most of these cases have appeared in returning travellers from affected areas in Africa with the rest being household contacts.
The UK has seen no community transmission but with outbreaks continuing in parts of Africa, occasional imported case of clade Ib mpox are still expected in the UK.
In January, NHS England announced it was expanding access to mpox vaccination for high-risk groups after delivery of new vaccine stocks.
This article was first published by our sister title Pulse.
