Swedish health authorities announced the first case of the highly infectious mpox virus just a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global emergency over outbreaks in Africa.
“In this case, a person became infected during a stay in an area of Africa where there is a major outbreak of (the more infectious monkeypox),” Sweden's Public Health Agency announced on Thursday.
Magnus Gisslen, state epidemiologist at Sweden's health agency, said the person had been treated and given “rules of conduct.”
“The fact that a patient with MPOX is treated in the country does not affect the risk to the general population,” Swedish officials said.
MPOX DECLARED PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY IN AFRICA AS AUTHORITIES FIGHTED MULTIPLE VARIANTS
Swedish state epidemiologist Magnus Gisslén speaks during a press conference on mpox in Stockholm on Thursday. (Fredrik Sandberg/TT News Agency via AP)
The announcement of an infected resident in the Scandinavian country comes just a day after the WHO declared the mpox outbreak a global emergency.
The UN health agency said there have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths this year, already exceeding last year's figures.
To date, more than 96% of all cases and deaths have occurred in the Congo.
Mpox about a child in Nigeria. (Nigeria Centre for Disease Control via WHO)
What is mpox?
Mpox, also known as monkeypox, was first identified by scientists in 1958, when outbreaks of a “smallpox-like” disease occurred in monkeys. Until recently, most human cases were seen in people in central and western Africa who had close contact with infected animals.
In 2022, the virus was confirmed to be spread through sexual contact for the first time, triggering outbreaks in more than 70 countries that had previously not reported mpox.
A MOSQUITO-BORNE VIRUS SIMILAR TO ZIKA HAS SPREAD IN EUROPE, HEALTH AUTHORITIES WARN
Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox, but causes milder symptoms, such as fever, chills and body aches. People with more severe cases may develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.
Earlier this year, scientists identified a highly contagious form of mpox, which can kill up to 10% of people.
Mpox is transmissible and highly contagious. (Agency/Dado Ruvic/Illustration)
Scientists in Europe have argued that although MPOX is transmissible and highly contagious, advanced medical care in Sweden and other wealthy countries can stop transmission before it becomes an epidemic.
