The United Kingdom has reported a new case of the highly contagious mpox clade Ib strain, becoming the latest European country to document an infection amid rising global concern over the virus’s spread.

The UK Health Security Agency confirmed that the newly identified patient had not travelled recently and had no known link to previously confirmed cases, suggesting possible local transmission. Authorities have traced the individual’s close contacts, but no additional cases have been reported. Health officials say the overall public risk remains low.

The new strain, known as clade Ib, first emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2023 and has since caused thousands of infections across Central Africa, particularly in Burundi and Uganda. While two major subtypes of mpox exist, Clade I, predominant in Central Africa, is considered more severe than Clade II, which triggered a global outbreak in 2022 and remains active at low levels in parts of Europe and North America.

Clade Ib has proven particularly troubling for public health experts due to its potential for easier transmission and more severe illness, particularly among children. Mpox spreads through close skin-to-skin contact and can cause symptoms such as fever, rash, swollen lymph nodes, headaches, and respiratory issues. In August 2024, the World Health Organization declared the African mpox outbreak a global public health emergency.

Following early warnings, the UK prepared for potential transmission by securing more than 150,000 doses of mpox vaccines and establishing vaccination sites across England. The country’s first clade Ib cases were reported in October 2024, involving a returning traveller who subsequently infected household members.

Elsewhere in Europe, several countries have reported cases of the clade Ib strain. Germany has confirmed eight cases to date, including household transmissions among children, while Belgium has recorded five cases since December. France reported two cases earlier this year linked to individuals returning from Central Africa.

Sweden was the first non-African country to detect the new strain, reporting a case in August 2024 involving a patient who had recently travelled to an affected area. Ireland has documented one case of the related but distinct clade Ia strain in February, involving a traveller from the DRC who was hospitalised in Dublin.

Globally, the new strain has also been identified in the United States, Canada, Brazil, China, India, Thailand, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, highlighting the virus’s increasing international footprint.

European health officials continue to monitor developments closely. While the risk to the general public remains low, experts stress the importance of preparedness, including vaccination and early detection, as the virus continues to spread beyond Africa.

A 36-year-old woman has become the first in the United Kingdom to give birth following a successful womb transplant, marking a groundbreaking moment in reproductive medicine.

Grace Davidson, diagnosed at age 19 with a rare condition that left her without a functioning uterus, was told she would never be able to carry a child. That changed in 2023 when her sister donated her uterus through a pioneering living donor programme. The transplant made Davidson the first person in the UK to undergo the procedure, and this February, she welcomed a healthy baby girl via caesarean section.

The operation and subsequent birth were supported by Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and funded by the charity Womb Transplant UK. Both mother and daughter are reported to be in good health.

“Transplants are usually carried out in order to save a life,” said Dr Isabel Quiroga, a surgeon and co-lead of the Womb Transplant UK programme. “With this transplant we have been able to enhance a life, and now to create a life.”

The birth is the culmination of over 25 years of research into womb transplantation, a procedure that is still considered experimental in the UK. While more than 100 womb transplants have taken place worldwide, leading to over 50 healthy births, Davidson’s successful pregnancy is a first for the UK. The first such birth globally occurred in Sweden in 2014.

The groundbreaking procedure offers new hope to thousands of women who are unable to carry children due to congenital conditions like Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser (MRKH) syndrome or those who have lost their uterus due to cancer or other medical conditions. According to NHS estimates, around one in 5,000 women in the UK are born without a viable womb.

The UK’s current womb transplant programme plans to carry out five such procedures, with uterus removal (hysterectomy) scheduled once recipients have completed their families. While using a donor womb, patients must take immunosuppressive medication to prevent organ rejection.

Experts have hailed the achievement as a “milestone” but caution that long-term monitoring is necessary. “Careful consideration needs to be given to balancing the risks and benefits of this procedure,” said Dr Nicola Williams, an ethics lecturer at Lancaster University.

Legal and ethical questions have also been raised around access and funding. Laura O’Donovan, a law lecturer at the University of Sheffield, noted that the National Health Service (NHS) will need to consider whether such transplants should be publicly funded. “These are difficult decisions that NHS commissioners will need to make in the context of scarce resources,” she said.

Davidson’s success story could signal a new chapter in fertility treatment, potentially transforming options for women previously told motherhood was medically impossible.

An unvaccinated 8-year-old child has died from measles complications in Texas, marking the third confirmed measles-related death in the United States this year as the country battles a growing outbreak. The child was from a community experiencing a significant surge in cases and passed away on Thursday, according to a hospital spokesperson.

This latest fatality comes amid a troubling resurgence of the highly contagious disease, which is preventable through vaccination. Health officials say that the outbreak in Texas began in late January and has since escalated, with the state reporting another sharp increase in cases and hospitalizations on Friday. Nationwide, the U.S. has already seen more than twice the number of measles cases reported in all of 2024.

Texas has become the epicenter of the outbreak, though several other states are also seeing active transmission, particularly in communities with low vaccination coverage. The majority of cases have occurred in children, many of whom are unvaccinated.

Measles, a virus that spreads through the air via coughing, sneezing, or even breathing, can be especially dangerous for children. While most recover, complications such as pneumonia, brain inflammation, blindness, and even death can occur. The U.S. had previously reported two measles-related deaths this year: a 6-year-old child in Texas in February and an adult in New Mexico in early March.

Measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, thanks to widespread vaccination efforts. However, recent years have seen vaccination rates decline in some areas, leading to renewed outbreaks. Public health officials stress that at least 95% of a community must be vaccinated to maintain herd immunity and prevent the virus from spreading.

So far in 2025, there have been 607 confirmed cases of measles across 21 states, according to U.S. health data. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warns that if the trend continues, the outbreak could extend into next year.

Global health officials are also expressing concern over rising measles cases worldwide. In 2023, an estimated 10.3 million people were infected, and 107,500 died from the disease. Europe is experiencing its worst measles outbreak in 25 years, with over 120,000 cases reported across the continent and Central Asia last year. Romania currently leads with the highest number of infections. In the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, more than 32,000 cases have been documented from early 2024 to early 2025.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to ramp up vaccination efforts, particularly for children, who account for most of the recent cases. In the U.S., health officials are encouraging parents to ensure their children receive the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is over 97% effective after two doses.