Health services have sounded the alarm after a new case of a deadly strain of mpox was discovered in Britain, the Daily Mail reported.

This is the first British patient with the deadly virus to have contracted it at home rather than abroad.

Virus experts have warned that this likely means mpox is spreading in local communities.

The strain, called clade 1b, has been described by experts as "the most dangerous yet" as it kills one in ten of those infected and is believed to be causing a spate of miscarriages.

The latest patient is from the North East of England and was diagnosed in March, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) alert.

The government added that the overall risk to the population remains "low" as mpox clade Ia and Ib is no longer classed as a high-risk infectious disease.

All previous cases in the UK to date have travelled to an affected country or had a link to someone who had travelled.

In January, UKHSA announced that a seventh case of the deadly strain had been detected in the UK.

Officials do not yet know how he contracted the strain.

But he had "recently" travelled back to the UK from Uganda, the UKHSA said.

The UK's first case of clade 1b was discovered after the unidentified patient developed flu-like symptoms, followed by a rash, and visited an emergency department on 27 October, where he was tested.

They were then transferred to a high-level isolation ward at the Royal Free Hospital in north London - the same facility where imported Ebola cases were treated in 2015.

A sixth case - which had no previous links to the other cases - was also discovered in East Sussex in early January.

It had also recently returned from Uganda and officials said it was currently undergoing specialist treatment at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.

The global monkeypox/mumps epidemic starting in Africa in May 2022.

But the latest strain of clade 1b is thought to be far more deadly.

Since the epidemic began, it has swept through central Africa and killed at least 1,000 people.

However, experts say the clade 1b death toll from Central Africa is unlikely to recur in developed countries such as the UK due to better access to better quality healthcare.

Mpox causes characteristic lump-like lesions as well as fever, aches and fatigue.

In a small number of cases, however, it can infiltrate the blood and lungs as well as other parts of the body when it becomes life-threatening.

The current mpox vaccines, which are designed to work on smallpox, a close relative of the mpox virus, were used during the 2022 outbreak against the milder strain.

But they have not yet been widely tested and have not been shown to be effective against the stronger clade 1b strain.

The WHO and NHS (National Health Service) recommend a vaccine within four days of contact with a person who has the virus, or within up to 14 days if there are no symptoms. | BGNES