Sweden reports first case of deadly mpox strain outside Africa

STOCKHOLM: Sweden on Thursday announced the first case outside Africa of the more dangerous variant of mpox, which the WHO has declared a global public health emergency. Consequently, Sweden deadly mpox has prompted urgent investigations into how the disease was transmitted. #SwedenDeadlyMpox

The country’s public health agency confirmed that the virus strain matched the one surging in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This Clade 1b subclade has been prominent since September 2023.

“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,” the agency said in a statement.

The person was infected during a visit to “the part of Africa where there is a major outbreak of mpox clade I,” state epidemiologist Magnus Gisslen said in the statement.

The patient “has received care,” Gisslen said. The agency added that Sweden “has a preparedness to diagnose, isolate and treat people with mpox safely.”

“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 Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) currently considers very low,” it said.

The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed 548 people since the start of the year.

WHO declared the outbreak in the DRC and neighboring countries a public health emergency of international concern on Wednesday. #SwedenDeadlyMpox

Formerly called monkeypox, the virus was first discovered in humans in 1970 in what is now the DRC.

International health organizations are responding with increased vigilance. They are focusing on containment strategies to address the Sweden deadly mpox effectively. As a result, global health efforts are being intensified to manage this emerging threat.
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