Sweden has reported its first case of a dangerous mpox strain, marking the first time this variant has been detected outside Africa.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, was first discovered in humans in 1970 in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Sweden’s public health agency confirmed the case, noting that the virus strain is the Clade 1b subclade, which has been rapidly spreading in the DRC since September 2023.
According to the agency, “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 stated.
State epidemiologist Magnus Gisslen explained, “The patient was infected during a visit to the part of Africa where there is a major outbreak of mpox clade I.” He added that the patient “has received care” and that Sweden “has a preparedness to diagnose, isolate and treat people with mpox safely.”
The Swedish health agency reassured the public, saying, “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 currently considers very low.”
The outbreak in the DRC has resulted in 548 deaths since the beginning of the year.
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak in the DRC and neighboring countries a public health emergency of international concern.
Mpox is an infectious disease transmitted to humans by infected animals, but it can also spread from person to person through close contact. It causes symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, and large, boil-like skin lesions.
