Forbes StaffSweden reports the deadly clade 1 variant of Mpox, recorded as the first case outside Africa.
Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Mpox a global health emergency, seeing its outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries. It called it an international concern. Now, the first case outside Africa has been reported in Sweden. On Thursday, Sweden reported a case of Mpox, becoming the first country outside Africa to report a more contagious strain of the virus.
Sweden reports its first case of Mpox.
According to the WHO, Mpox is a public health emergency of international concern and is widely spread in Africa, causing 500 deaths so far. However, the first case of Mpox outside Africa has been reported in Sweden.
What did the Sweden Public Health Agency say?
The Sweden Public Health Agency, in a statement, said, “A person who sought care” in Stockholm “has been diagnosed with Mpox caused by the clade I variant. It is the first case caused by clade I to be diagnosed outside the African continent.”
As per state epidemiologist Magnus Gisslen, the patient is believed to have contacted a virus during a visit to a region in Africa, which currently has experienced a major outbreak of Mpox clade I. Gisslen, in a statement, said, “The fact that a patient with Mpox is treated in the country does not affect the risk to the general population, a risk that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) currently considers very low.”
On Wednesday, WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “The emergence of a new clade of Mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighboring countries are very worrying,” adding, “On top of outbreaks of other Mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”
