Mpox Outbreak: Sweden Confirms First Case Of More Contagious Variant After Africa

Amid the fear over the recent outbreaks of Mpox as the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, Sweden on Thursday confirmed its first case of Mpox.

According to Health and Social Affairs Minister Jakob Forssmed, "We have now also during the afternoon had confirmation that we have one case in Sweden of the more grave type of Mpox, the one called Clade Ib."

Mpox is a viral infection that typically spreads through close contact. The symptoms are quite similar to that of a normal flu except the pus-filled lesions on the skin.

About the outbreak in Congo

As per reports, the latest outbreak in Congo initially involved an endemic strain known as Clade I, However, a further mutated lethal strain, Clade Ib, has now emerged, which appears to spread more easily through routine close contact.

This new variant has reportedly crossed the geographic barrier of Congo to several other countries like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda which prompted WHO to take quick action.

Recently, Africa's leading public health body also declared a Mpox emergency for the continent in light of the alarming spread of the infection. Over 17,000 suspected cases and more than 500 deaths have been reported this year, mainly among children in Congo.

What did WHO say?

WHO declared the global emergency following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has since spread to other nations.

"The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of mpox in eastern DRC, its spread to neighboring countries that had not previously reported mpox, and the potential for further transmission within Africa and beyond is deeply concerning," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.

In light of the development, WHO has released USD 1.5 million in contingency funds.