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Health emergency: Deadly Mpox strain Clade 1 hits Australia, only the 2nd case ever

Health emergency: Deadly Mpox strain Clade 1 hits Australia, only the 2nd case ever

Economic Times6 days ago
IANS Rare and dangerous mpox strain detected in Queensland
A rare and more dangerous strain of the Mpox virus, known as Clade 1, has been confirmed in Queensland, marking the first-ever case in the state and only the second known detection of this strain in Australia's history.
Queensland Health officials say the individual had recently returned from overseas and was diagnosed while seeking care at Logan Hospital in the state's Metro South region. Contact tracing is currently underway, and public health teams are working to identify and notify anyone who may have been exposed.
'Clade 1 is notorious for causing a more widespread rash, big blisters or pox-like lesions, typically all over the body,' said Dr. Paul Griffin, infectious diseases expert. 'And because it is more severe, they can have other symptoms like high fevers.'The virus, previously known as monkeypox, spreads primarily through close, prolonged, or intimate contact, including skin-to-skin contact or exposure to bodily fluids, respiratory droplets, or contaminated materials like clothing or bedding. The patient is in isolation, and authorities say there is no current threat to the broader community.
Mpox Clade 1 is far more severe than Clade 2, the milder strain that caused most of Australia's 2022 outbreak. Clade 1 has been associated with higher rates of complications, including secondary infections and in rare cases, death.The first Australian case of Clade 1 was reported in New South Wales in May 2025, also in a traveler returning from Africa. Clade 1 is more common in Central Africa and has been spreading more widely in the past year, prompting increased surveillance globally.
What is MPox?Mpox is a viral infection similar to smallpox, but typically milder. It causes fever, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a characteristic blistering rash.
What makes Clade 1 different?
Clade 1 is a more dangerous strain. It causes larger, widespread blisters, more severe fever, and sometimes serious complications. It has a higher mortality rate than Clade 2, particularly in countries with limited healthcare access.
How does Mpox spread?
Mpox spreads through: Close or intimate contact (skin-to-skin, kissing, sex)
Contact with lesions or scabs
Respiratory droplets in close, prolonged face-to-face interaction
Contaminated clothing, bedding, or surfaces
Who is at risk?While anyone can contract Mpox, the risk is higher for: People with multiple intimate partners
Travelers returning from endemic areas
Close contacts of confirmed cases
Healthcare and frontline workers
Is there a vaccine?Yes. Australia offers free MPox vaccines to high-risk individuals. Two doses are recommended for full protection. Contact your local sexual health clinic or GP to book.
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Uganda sees nearly 70 pc drop in mpox cases over four weeks
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Synchron , run by an Australian neurologist, hopes to implant devices inside blood vessels in the neck. These efforts, like those of many other startups, aim to read brain activity directly -- an enormously complex process that must be tailored to the is taking a simpler approach. Its technology does not require surgery. Anyone can strap on the device and start using it. Using artificial intelligence techniques, Reardon and his team have identified common electrical signals that appear when a person moves a finger, wrist or thumb."This idea -- this kind of technology -- is not new, it is decades old," said Dario Farina, a professor of bioengineering at Imperial College, London, who has tested the technology but was not involved in the research. "The breakthrough here is that Meta has used artificial intelligence to analyze very large amounts of data, from thousands of individuals, and make this technology robust. It now performs at a level it has never reached before."Meta's wristband uses a technique called electromyography, or EMG, to gather electrical signals from muscles in the forearm. These signals are produced by neurons in the spinal cord -- called alpha motor neurons -- that connect to individual muscle these neurons connect directly to the muscle fibres, the electrical signals are particularly strong -- so strong that they can be read from outside the skin. The signal also moves much faster than the muscles. If a device like Meta's wristband can read the signals, it can type much faster than your fingers."We can see the electrical signal before you finger even moves," Reardon has long provided a way for amputees to control prosthetic hands. 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