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Sweden reports first case of Mpox – after declaration of global health emergency

Top line

Sweden confirmed its first case of Mpox, a disease formerly known as monkeypox, shortly after the World Health Organization declared an international health emergency due to the escalating Mpox outbreak in Africa.

Key data

The Swedish Health Authority announced in a press release on Thursday that a person who “was treated in the Stockholm region was diagnosed with Mpox caused by the clade I variant.”

The person became infected during a stay in Africa, the agency said. The diagnosis has “no impact on the risk to the general population,” which is currently “very low.”

This makes Sweden the first country outside Africa to report a case of the new Mpox variant.

The Clade I variant is an offshoot of the Mpox virus that is “likely associated with a higher risk of more severe disease and higher mortality” and appears to spread more easily between people, especially children, through regular close contact within households.

The WHO said on Wednesday that the rise in MPOX cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and a growing number of African countries constitutes a public health emergency of international concern and “represents the highest level of alert under international health law,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

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Important background

This is the second Mpox-caused international health emergency (PHEIC) in as many years. In July 2022, a multi-country Mpox outbreak was declared a PHEIC because cases were “spreading rapidly through sexual contact in a number of countries where the virus had not previously been present,” according to the WHO. That emergency ended less than a year later, in May 2023, after a steady decline in cases worldwide. As of Monday, at least 12 countries had reported Class I Mpox infections this year, with 2,863 cases and 517 deaths, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the number of suspected cases across the continent was over 17,000. The virus itself is a close relative of smallpox, one of the deadliest human pathogens and the only human infectious disease to be eradicated, although it is less severe.

Is there a Mpox vaccine?

There is a modern vaccine from Bavarian Nordic that was introduced during the 2022 global outbreak. However, supplies are limited and many of the countries with the largest outbreaks also do not have the basic health infrastructure to effectively administer the shots. However, Africa CDC has signed an agreement with the European Commission's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority and Bavarian Nordic to provide more than 215,000 doses of their vaccine. Africa CDC said it will monitor vaccine distribution and prioritize local needs.

tangent

The declaration of the international emergency caused Bavarian Nordic shares to rise by as much as 17 percent in Copenhagen on Thursday morning, but the gains receded during the day. On Wednesday, the company's shares rose by around 12 percent after the WHO declared the emergency.

More information

ForbesShare price of a vaccine manufacturer rises rapidly after WHO declares health emergency due to Mpox outbreak in AfricaFrom Robert Hart
ForbesWHO declares Mpox a health emergency – what you should knowFrom Robert HartReutersSweden confirms first case of MPOX

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