More than 200 cases of the Mpox virus have been recorded in France according to Santé Publique France.
The spread of the Mpox virus is monitored very closely in France. More than 200 cases have been recorded in France in 2024, all belonging so far to clade 2 of the virus. On January 6, 2025, the Ministry of Health announced the first case of Mpox clade 1b, in Brittany. Four European countries have recorded cases of this same clade since the summer of 2024: Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom and Belgium. Worrying or not? For the Ministry of Health, “the detection of this clade I b case does not change the response strategy”.
What is it about? What risks in France to date?
Mpox virus is a DNA virus of the genus Orthopoxvirus of the Poxviridae family. This virus is transmitted from animals to humans. We speak of “monkey” pox because the virus was discovered in 1958 in laboratory monkeys in Copenhagen but “It is a mistake to say this because it is rather a virus hosted by rodents like squirrels and large African rats like the Gambian rat” Professor Jeanne Brugère-Picoux explained to us during a previous interview. The first human case was recorded in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There are two strains of the Mpox virus:
- the Congo strain or Central African strain (the most virulent) named “Clade 1” (the new clade 1b is part of it)
- the West African strain (less virulent) named “Clade 2”
France has faced an epidemic of Clade 2 monkeypox since 2022. Mpox is very contagious and requires isolation for 3 weeks upon confirmation of its detection. Subtype 1b is considered more lethal and transmissible. To date, “the risk of infection with a clade I Mpox virus for the European population is considered low” recalls Public Health France. For the moment, in France, only one contamination by clade I has been recorded (in January 2025). The reported cases all concern adults, and the vast majority are men.
2 weeks of incubation before the first buds
The Mpox virus is transmitted by a patient’s respiratory droplets (spill, sneezing within 2 meters for at least 3 hours), direct contact with the skin, contact with the mucous membranes (mouth, genitals, anus), contact with the pimples or scabs and through sexual intercourse, with or without penetration. The first symptoms appear after an incubation period of between 5 and 21 days (most often one to two weeks). After a high fever and a febrile state (headache, muscle pain, etc.), the person presents with pimples which may resemble those of chickenpox (with liquid inside) but which come out in a single outbreak. If in doubt, contact your doctor. He may request a PCR test to be carried out to confirm contamination by Mpox. The disease is generally self-limiting but complications may require hospitalization (between 5 and 10% of cases). People at high risk of exposure to mpox are:
- Men who have sex with men (MSM) reporting multiple partners and trans people reporting multiple partners;
- Sex workers/people in prostitution;
- Professionals in places of sexual consumption;
- Partners or people sharing the same living space as those at high risk of exposure mentioned above.
The French health authorities have set up a “Monkeypox info service” telephone reception to answer questions raised by the virus. It is open every day from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., on the toll-free number 0 801 90 80 69 (free, anonymous and confidential call and services).
