The new advice says travellers should consider getting vaccinated against ampox if they are going to visit affected areas of Africa.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has updated its recommendations in response to the outbreak of a new strain of the virus. It said that some cases may also be reported in other continents including Europe.

ECDC says the risk of it spreading everywhere is lowDespite the World Health Organization recently declaring the ampox situation a global emergency, ampox cases continue to increase.

The disease – formally known as monkeypox – can be spread through close contact with anyone who is infected.

People who have previously been vaccinated against mpox may need only one dose instead of two.

Booster vaccine doses are usually recommended every two to 10 years if a person remains at continued risk.

Ampox, which has killed at least 450 people in the DRC in recent months, is linked to a new variant, or clade, called 1B.

Ampox can be spread from person to person through:

• Any close physical contact with ampox blisters or scabs (including during sexual contact, kissing, hugging, or holding hands)
• touching clothing, bedding, or towels used by someone with amphibians
• a person with ampox coughing or sneezing when they are close to you

It can cause flu-like symptoms, skin lesions and, for some people, it can be fatal.

Experts say there’s still a lot to know about variant 1b, but it may be spreading more easily and causing more severe illness.

Pamela Rendi-Wagner of the ECDC said: “As a result of the rapid spread of this outbreak in Africa, the ECDC has raised the risk level for the general population in the EU/EEA and for travellers from affected areas. Due to the close links between Europe and Africa we must be prepared for more imported cases of clade 1.”

Currently, there have been no cases of clade 1B ampox in the UK, but experts say cases could spread if action is not taken internationally.

A case of ampox has also been detected in Sweden, where a person became infected while staying in an area of ​​Africa where the disease is spreading.

The ECDC recommends that public health officials plan and prepare for the early detection of any further cases arriving in Europe.

The previous Mpox public health emergency declared in 2022 was caused by a different, milder strain called Clade 2.