The Clade 1b variant of mpox (formerly known as monkey pox), is containable and is not likely to cause a Covid-19-style pandemic, says an emeritus professor of epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. "We should be able to stop it spreading," says Jimmy Whitworth, who explains that the variant, an outbreak of which has been declared an international health emergency by the World Health Organization, is likely to be susceptible to existing vaccines, but that this still needs to be confirmed. SOUNDBITES