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The authorities noted that the person became infected with the virus during his stay in the area of Africa which was currently struggling with a major outbreak of mpox Clade 1 read more
 "Sweden reports first case of new and more contagious mpox variant outside Africa")
A new strain of mpox was reported by scientists in May to be spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters
As the World Health Organisation issues an alert about Monkey Pox, Sweden’s public health agency said that it has recorded what it claims to be the first case of a contagious new variant of mpox outside the African continent.
The authorities noted that the person became infected with the virus during his stay in the area of Africa which was currently struggling with a major outbreak of mpox Clade 1. The news from Sweden came just hours after the WHO declared that the outbreak of mpox in Africa is now a “public health emergency of international concern.”
Sweden records first case in Europe
With this, Sweden recorded the first case of Monkey Pox in the European continent. “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,” Sweden’s Public Health Agency said in a statement on Thursday, The Telegraph reported.
It is pertinent to note that this is the second time in two years that the WHO declared the virus as a “global public health emergency”. At least 450 people died during the initial outbreak of the new variant in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The disease has since spread to areas of central and east Africa.
Jakob Forssmed, Sweden’s Minister of Social Affairs said in a press conference that the patient travelled to a country which was hit by the outbreak of the virus. There are two types of mpox, Clade 1 and Clade 2. The latter caused a public health emergency back in 2022 and was considered relatively mild. The Clade 2 variant has already been reported in Sweden.
Mpox spreads by physical contact and causes a characteristic lumpy rash, fever, aches, and pains. Medical professionals have always raised concerns over the matter since the virus can be extremely fatal.
Clade 1b appeared in DRC in September last year and is touted as the “most dangerous variant yet”. It has a higher mortality rate than clade 2 - said to be between 5-10 per cent compared to 0.2 per cent and has already accounted for 15,000 cases in Africa this year.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the symptoms usually appear 6-13 days after infection and include fevers and headaches, rashes or sores and muscle aches.
With inputs from agencies.
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