United Arab Emirates reports mpox clade 1b case
On February 7, 2025, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) notified the World Health Organization (WHO) of the first case of mpox due to clade Ib mpox virus detected in the country.
The case is an adult with a recent history of travel to Uganda. Symptom onset was on January 11, 2025 and disease confirmation was on January 18, 2025. At the time of reporting, he was receiving care in hospital isolation.
In addition, at least seven cases have been reported in other countries among travellers from the United Arab Emirates, suggesting likely community transmission in-country.
Since August 2024, clade I cases have been reported outside of Africa by Sweden, Germany, Belgium, France, Thailand, India, the UK, Ireland, the United States (US), Canada, Pakistan, Oman, China and the UAE.
Most travel-associated cases who reported travel to non-African countries have reported links to affected countries in Africa. However, China, India, Oman, Pakistan and Thailand have reported at least one case each with travel links to the United Arab Emirates.