As China grapples with surging Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) cases, the East Asian nation's health authorities announced on Thursday the detection of a new mutated Mpox strain, known as clade 1b.
While the discovery marks another milestone in the detection and management of emerging viruses, it highlights the magnitude and challenges in the global fight against disease outbreaks, particularly if the COVID-19 pandemic is anything to go by.
According to China's Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a cluster outbreak of the clade 1b subclade, which began with a traveller from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has already infected four others through close contact.
Clade 1b also exhibits genetic and epidemiological characteristics that favour human-to-human transmission.
