| No images? Click here  Saturday, 14 February 2026 Resending with corrected linkDisease Outbreak NewsMpox: recombinant virus with genomic elements of clades Ib and IIb - GlobalSituation at a glanceRecombination of monkeypox virus (MPXV) strains has been documented in recent months, with two cases of a recombinant strain comprising clade Ib and IIb MPXV reported. Recombination is a known natural process that can occur when two related viruses infecting the same individual exchange genetic material, producing a new virus. The first case was detected in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (hereafter “United Kingdom”), with travel history to a country in South-East Asia, and the second in India, with travel history to a country in the Arabian Peninsula. Detailed analysis of the virus genomes shows that the two individuals fell ill several weeks apart with the same recombinant strain, suggesting that there may be further cases than are currently reported. Both cases had similar clinical presentation to that observed for other clades. Neither patient experienced severe outcomes. Contact tracing for both cases in the reporting countries has been completed; no secondary cases were detected. Based on available information, the overall WHO public health risk assessment for mpox remains unchanged: the risk is assessed as moderate for men who have sex with men with new and/or multiple partners and for sex workers or others with multiple casual sexual partners, and low for the general population without specific risk factors. Description of the situation Media contacts:  You are receiving this NO-REPLY email because you are included on a WHO mail list.  |
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