Sweden has confirmed its first case of the more dangerous Clade 1b variant of mpox, marking the first detection of this strain outside Africa. This development comes just a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a global public health emergency.
The Swedish Public Health Agency announced on Thursday, August 15, that an individual in Stockholm had been diagnosed with the Clade 1b subclade of the virus. This strain has been linked to 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.
State epidemiologist Magnus Gisslen revealed that the patient contracted the virus during a visit to an African region experiencing a major outbreak of the Clade I variant. The patient has since received medical care in Sweden.
The Swedish Public Health Agency assured the public that the country is well-prepared to manage mpox cases, emphasizing that this isolated instance does not pose a significant risk to the general population. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) also assessed the public risk as very low.
The outbreak in the DRC has been catastrophic, with 548 deaths reported since the beginning 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, first identified in humans in 1970 in the DRC, is transmitted from infected animals to humans and can spread through close physical contact. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and characteristic skin lesions.
