Experts have warned Brits to watch out for a little known sign of the deadly mpox strain that’s ‘commonly missed’.
While the virus is commonly known for its boil-like lesions, there is a lesser-known symptom that occurs in the early stages and is often mistaken for other less serious illnesses.
Swollen glands or lymph nodes are usually an indication of a much more common infection such as a cold or tonsillitis.
However, London-based pharmacist Abbas Kanani said this can be the first sign of mpox clade 1b, which experts have called ‘the most dangerous one so far’.
The mutation kills one in ten of those infected and is believed to be behind a wave of miscarriages.
Swollen glands in the neck, groin and armpits, are triggered by the virus due to their role in fighting off infections.
When a virus attacks, our fighter cells — white blood cells — rush to the lymph nodes to defend the body, causing the glands to swell.
Mr Kanani said: ‘Swollen glands or lymph nodes can be commonly mistaken for other causes and are not always obvious, particularly if there is mild swelling or it is deep in the body.’
Mpox causes characteristic lumpy lesions, as well as a fever, aches and pains and fatigue. However, in a small number of cases, it can enter the blood and lungs, as well as other parts of the body, when it becomes life-threatening
It comes as a fifth case of the life-threatening mpox strain has been detected in the UK.
This takes the total number of confirmed cases in Britain now to five. The unidentified patient, from Leeds, had no links to the previous four cases.
The strain is currently sweeping across central Africa, and has killed at least 1,000 people since the outbreak began.
Countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo have been hit especially hard with cases also spotted in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya.
Superintendent pharmacist at Chemist Click, Abbas Kanani explained other common initial symptoms of the infection include high temperature, muscle aches and joint pain.
Between one and five days after the first symptoms, the telltale rash on the face usually appears, he told The Sun.
The rash which appears as raised spots and small blisters filled with fluid can be mistaken for chickenpox, Mr Kanani warns.
It can spread to other parts of the body including the mouth and the genitals and anus, in some cases causing anal bleeding and pain.
Experts say fatality rates of clade 1b from central Africa are unlikely to be replicated in developed nations like the UK due to better access to higher quality healthcare.
Britain’s five cases means it joins countries including the US, Sweden, Thailand, India and Germany in having cases outside of Africa.
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 yet to be widely tested against the more potent clade 1b strain.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the NHS recommends a vaccine within four days of contact with someone who has the virus or within up to 14 days if there are no symptoms.
Healthcare workers and men who have sex with men are advised to receive a vaccine even if they have had no mpox exposure.
There are no direct treatments available with medics focused instead on supporting a patient to help their body fight off the virus.
