France has reported its first case of the new mpox clade 1b variant, linked to a global health emergency declared by the WHO, with health authorities investigating the source and tracing contacts in the Brittany region.
France has reported its first case of the new mpox variant, according to AFP, citing a statement from the French health ministry on Monday.
The individual had no recent travel history to Central Africa, where the new variant originated, but had been in contact with two individuals who had returned from the region, AFP reported.
Health authorities are currently investigating the source of the infection and conducting contact tracing to identify any potential exposures, the ministry stated.
The patient, a woman, was diagnosed in the northwestern Brittany region at a hospital in Rennes, as reported by the regional newspaper Ouest France.
The new variant, referred to as the clade 1b variant, has been linked to a global health emergency declared by the World Health Organization in August.
France joins neighbouring Germany and Britain, which both confirmed their first cases of the variant in October.
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