Sweden’s public health agency has identified what it believes to be the first case of a new, highly contagious variant of mpox outside of Africa.
According to BBC, the agency said the individual contracted the virus while in an African region currently experiencing a significant outbreak of mpox Clade 1.
This announcement coincides with the World Health Organization’s declaration that the ongoing mpox outbreak in certain parts of Africa now qualifies as a public health emergency of international concern.
During an initial outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, at least 450 people lost their lives, and the virus has since spread to other regions in central and east Africa.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is transmitted through close physical contact, such as sexual activity, skin-to-skin contact, and close-range conversation or breathing.
The virus leads to symptoms similar to the flu, as well as skin lesions, and can be deadly, with approximately four percent of cases resulting in death.
There are two variants of mpox, Clade 1 and Clade 2. Although Clade 2 triggered a public health emergency in 2022, it was relatively mild and has already surfaced in Sweden.
The Swedish public health agency has indicated that Clade 1 is associated with “a higher rise of a more severe course of disease and higher mortality.”
It further noted that Clade 1 tends to spread more commonly through close household contacts and often affects children, whereas the milder variant is primarily transmitted through sexual contact.
An emergency committee convened on Wednesday to provide guidance to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on whether this disease outbreak should be classified as a “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC).
PHEIC is WHO’s most serious alert level and is designed to expedite research, funding, and international cooperation to manage and contain the outbreak.
Tedros emphasized, “It’s clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”
