Sweden reports first case of new Mpox strain outside Africa

A person in Sweden has tested positive for the more contagious form of Mpox that first appeared in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to Swedish health authorities, this is the first known case outside Africa. Just one day earlier, the WHO declared the disease a global emergency.

The patient sought medical attention in the Stockholm region after being in a part of Africa experiencing a severe outbreak of the new strain of Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox. Specific details were not disclosed.

“This case does not in itself require additional infection control measures, but we take the I mpox clade outbreak very seriously,” said Magnus Gisslén, the Swedish Public Health Agency's state epidemiologist. “We are closely monitoring the outbreak and continuously assessing whether new measures are needed.”

Swedish authorities said a single case does not affect the risk to the general population, but added that occasional imported cases may still occur. Sweden had previously reported about 300 cases of the older mpox variant.

“The confirmation of Mpox Clade 1 in Sweden is a clear reflection of the interconnectedness of our world,” the WHO said in a statement quoted by AFP. “There are likely to be further imported cases of Clade 1 in the European region in the coming days and weeks.”

The news came just a day after the World Health Organization declared Mpox an international health emergency. And earlier this week, the Africa CDC declared a public health emergency for the first time ever, allowing it to mobilize resources across the continent.

This year, at least 2,863 confirmed cases and more than 17,000 suspected cases have been reported in 13 African countries, including previously unaffected countries such as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Many cases have been identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Of the confirmed cases, at least 517 people have died.

Of particular concern is variant 1b, which causes more severe disease compared to the variant that spread around the world in 2022. It is also considered more contagious. Variant 2b spreads primarily through sexual contact, while the new variant is more commonly spread through other contact routes, including close contacts within households.

Several vaccines against Mpox have already been approved, but so far few people have received them, especially in Africa. The WHO has started the process for emergency authorization of two vaccines to make them more easily accessible, especially in low-income countries.