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First case of newer mpox variant detected in Ireland
The first case of a newer, more spreadable variant of mpox has been detected in the Republic of Ireland, the Health Service Executive (HSE) has said.
The Irish resident, who was infected with the Clade 1 variant, had recently returned from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The virus – formerly known as monkeypox – was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization last August.
The HSE said that while it is the first Irish case of the newer variant, it is not unexpected and the risk to the public remains low.
The individual is now receiving specialist care in a hospital in Dublin.
The HSE added that those who have received two doses of the mpox vaccine, or previously had the virus, are considered to have protection against severe illness caused by the newer variant.
Director of National Health Protection Dr Éamonn O’Moore said the HSE is fully prepared to respond to this case.
“We have been working alongside international partners and National Health Protection has been monitoring mpox closely since the outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo first emerged,” Dr O’Moore added.
Mpox is caused by a virus in the same family as smallpox but is usually much less harmful.
It spreads through direct contact with rashes, skin lesions or scabs caused by the virus, including during sexual contact, kissing, cuddling and other skin-to-skin contact.
There is also a risk from contact with bodily fluids; from contact with bedding or towels or clothing; and through close and prolonged face-to-face contact, such as talking, breathing, coughing and sneezing.
Common symptoms of mpox include flu-like symptoms, followed by a skin rash and pus-filled lesions which can last up to a month.
Once the fever breaks, a rash can develop. This can be extremely itchy or painful, often beginning on the face before spreading to other parts of the body, most commonly the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
In serious cases, lesions can attack the whole of the body, especially the mouth, eyes and genitals.
The rash goes through different stages before finally forming a scab, which later falls off and can cause scarring.
In many cases the infection lasts between 14 and 21 days before clearing up on its own.
But mpox can be fatal, particularly for vulnerable groups – including small children.
Outbreaks can be controlled by preventing infections with vaccines, though these are usually only available for people at risk or those who have been in close contact with an infected person.
There are broadly two main types of mpox – Clade 1, which is often more serious, and Clade 2.
A previous mpox public health emergency, declared in 2022, was caused by the relatively mild Clade 2.
Experts are now concerned about the Clade 1 virus that has been spreading quickly in west and central Africa since 2023.
Health officials experts have described it as ‘incredibly worrying’ and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreaks in Africa as ‘a public health emergency of international concern.
Millions of vaccines are being sent to the hardest-hit areas of east and central Africa to help control the outbreak.
Sweden, Germany, India, Thailand, Canada and the US have all seen imported cases of Clade 1b but there has been little onward spread to date.
On Tuesday, 12 new mpox vaccination sites opened across England.
[BBC]
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order sanctioning the International Criminal Court, accusing it of “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel”.
The measure places financial and visa restrictions on individuals and their families who assist in ICC investigations of American citizens or allies.
Trump signed the measure as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was visiting Washington.
Last November, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza, which Israel denies. The ICC also issued a warrant for a Hamas commander.
A White House fact sheet circulated earlier on Thursday accused the Hague-based ICC of creating a “shameful moral equivalency” between Hamas and Israel by issuing the warrants at the same time.
Trump’s executive order said the ICC’s recent actions “set a dangerous precedent” that endangered Americans by exposing them to “harassment, abuse and possible arrest”.
“This malign conduct in turn threatens to infringe upon the sovereignty of the United States and undermines the critical national security and foreign policy work of the United States government and our allies, including Israel,” the order said.
It adds that “both nations [the US and Israel] are thriving democracies with militaries that strictly adhere to the laws of war”.
The US is not a member of the ICC and has repeatedly rejected any jurisdiction by the body over American officials or citizens.
WEATHER FORECAST FOR 07 FEBRUARY 2025
Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 07 February 2025 by the Department of Meteorology
Misty conditions can be expected at some places in Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Uva and North-central provinces and in Galle, Matara and Kurunegala districts during the morning.
Mainly fair weather will prevail over most parts of the island.
WEATHER FORECAST FOR SEA AREAS AROUND THE ISLAND DURING NEXT 24 HOURS
[Issued at 05.30 a.m. on 07 February 2025]
Mainly fair weather will prevail over sea areas around the island.
Winds will be north-easterly and speed will be (20-30) kmph. Wind speed can increase up to (40-45) kmph at times in the sea areas off the coast extending from Colombo to Mannar via Puttalam and from Matara to Pottuvil via Hambantota.
The sea areas off the coasts extending from Colombo to Mannar via Puttalam and from Matara to Pottuvil via Hambantota will be fairly rough at times.
US President Donald Trump has restated a vision in which the US would take over Gaza, after officials in his administration appeared to contradict his earlier comments.
“The Gaza Strip would be turned over to the United States by Israel at the conclusion of fighting,” Trump said on Thursday. He reiterated that the idea would mean resettling Palestinians, and that no US soldiers would be needed.
Trump’s resettlement idea has prompted accusations that he is planning ethnic cleansing, and has drawn condemnation from the UN, human rights groups and Arab leaders. Analysts doubt it will ever happen.
After Trump’s first comments on the issue, his officials suggested any relocation would be only temporary.
Under his plan, Trump wrote, Gazans “would have already been resettled in far safer and more beautiful communities, with new and modern homes, in the region”. The US would then be part of an effort to redevelop the enclave, he said.
His post, written on Truth Social, did not make clear whether the two million residents of the Palestinian territory would be invited to return.
Under international law, attempts to forcibly transfer populations from occupied territory are strictly prohibited.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday that any displacement would be temporary. In his own comments, made on the same day, Secretary of State Rubio said the idea was for Gazans to leave the territory for an “interim” period while debris was cleared and reconstruction took place.
These views contradicted Trump’s initial comments on the matter. Speaking on Tuesday, when he proposed the development of Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East”, Trump suggested that the displacement of Palestinians would be permanent.
“The US will take over the Gaza Strip and we will do a job with it too,” he said on Tuesday during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called the idea “worth paying attention to”.
The announcement took even senior Trump aides by surprise due to a lack of planning around the idea, the New York Times reported, citing four anonymous sources with knowledge of the discussions.
Trump’s fresh comment on Thursday that no American soldiers would be needed was more clearly in agreement with Leavitt, who said the US had not committed to putting “boots on the ground”.
Fifteen months of fighting have left the Gaza Strip, a territory 41km (25 miles) long and 10km (6 miles) wide, largely uninhabitable.
Entire districts have been razed to the ground. Agricultural land where greenhouses once stood has been reduced to sand and rubble.
The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has warned that it could take 21 years to remove and dispose of all debris.
It described the water and sanitation systems as “almost entirely defunct”, warned of mounting rubbish around camps and shelters, and highlighted the risk that chemicals from destroyed solar panels and the munitions being used could contaminate soil and water supplies.
More than 50 million tonnes of debris have accumulated as a result of the destruction, according to the UN body.
The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 were taken hostage.
More than 47,550 people have been killed and 111,600 injured in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
[BBC]
First case of newer mpox variant detected in Ireland
Trump sanctions International Criminal Court, calls it ‘illegitimate’
Mainly fair weather will prevail over most parts of the island
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