Sweden reports first case of deadly monkeypox strain outside Africa

Sweden has confirmed its first case of the more dangerous variant of mpox, marking the first time this strain has been identified outside Africa. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak a global public health emergency.

The Swedish Public Health Agency revealed on Thursday, August 15, that the infected individual in Stockholm was diagnosed with the Clade 1b subclade of the virus. This strain has been responsible for a significant surge in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 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 stated.

According to state epidemiologist Magnus Gisslen, the patient contracted the virus during a visit to an area in Africa experiencing a major outbreak of the Clade I variant. The patient has since received medical care in Sweden.

The agency assured that Sweden is well-prepared to diagnose, isolate, and treat individuals with mpox, emphasizing that this case does not pose a significant risk to the general population. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) currently considers the risk to the public to be very low.

The outbreak in the DRC has been devastating, with 548 deaths reported since the start of the year. On Wednesday, August 14, the WHO declared the situation in the DRC and neighboring countries a public health emergency of international concern.

Monkeypox was first discovered in humans in 1970 in what is now the DRC. The virus is transmitted from infected animals to humans and can also spread through close physical contact between people. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and large boil-like skin lesions.