France’s Ministry of Health announced the first human case of a new strain of monkeypox (type 1b) in Brittany on January 7, 2025.
The infected individual had contact with someone who recently returned from Africa, where various strains of the disease are prevalent.
An investigation is underway to trace the source of the infection and identify all contacts. Earlier, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the monkeypox outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of international concern.