Liberia: Govt Confirms New Mpox Strain

The government, through the National Public Health Institute (NPHIL), has confirmed a new Mpox Strain, Clade 2b, marking the presence of two strains, Clade 2a and Clade 2b, but there is no death so far.

Before declaring Mpox a global concern and public health emergency, Liberia had five active cases. Weeks after the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Center for Disease Control (CDC) made the announcement, the country reported one case.

The National Public Health Institute (NPHIL) says it immediately deployed surveillance officers at border entry points, including the Roberts International Airport, to quickly identify, assess, and respond to suspected Mpox cases.

The Incidence Management System (IMS) was also reactivated to boost the institute’s response efforts targeting border sites. Initially, samples were sent to the Nigeria Africa Center for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health in the U.S. for gene sequencing, which confirmed the circulation of Clade 2a in October 2024.

Subsequently, NPHIL announced the presence of the clabe2b strain, along with three new cases and 11 individuals under treatment.

According to him, the new positive cases were detected by the scientists who were trained by the professionals who were brought into the country as a result of partner support.

“We had our young upcoming scientists that we trained here who took the lead on the task of sequencing, so we now detected Clade 2b. So now we have two clades circulating in Liberia. Clade 2a and Clade 2b,” Dr. Nyan said at a press conference to provide updates on the Mpox situation.

Dr. Nyan stated that Liberia has recorded a total of 41 cumulative cases since January 2024. Of these, 19 individuals have recovered, and there have been no deaths. He said the current mode of transmission is cross-border transmission from neighboring countries like Ivory Coast and potential zoonotic transmission within the country.

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Citing the case confirmed in Sinoe County, he said, for instance, the cases in Sinoe County were linked to a hunter who may have contracted the virus from an animal and transmitted it to his family members.

“Our experience has been that we are robust and proactive to get ahead of the curve. As a result, to this date, we have 12 confirmed cases, and I will give the subdivision. Nimba has four, Lofa has four, Grand Bassa one, Margibi one, and Sinoe two. So those are the 12 new confirmed cases that we have had over the last couple of days,” he said.

According to him, Nimba County, which borders Ivory Coast, continues to show more cases. “Rivergee and Maryland are also bordering the Ivory Coast, so we are looking at a cross-border transmission in Lofa and Sinoe. We are looking at zoonotic transmission, meaning the first who may have gotten infected may have gotten it from the animal and then brought it home, and the children or whoever the relatives are got infected, so Sinoe cases, for example, those of you who have been following the briefing cases.”

Sequencing allows scientists to track the spread of the virus and identify new variants or strains that may emerge. It helps scientists understand the genetic makeup of a virus, which can help researchers develop effective vaccines and antiviral drugs.

These viruses have the potential to continually evolve. Sequencing can help scientists track these changes and predict future outbreaks.

Nineteen countries have reported the Mpox virus since the beginning of this year, according to the Africa CDC. From January 2024, there were a total of 53,903 cases, of which 11,147 were confirmed and 1,109 deaths.

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