STOCKHOLM,
Sweden
Sweden's public health agency has recorded what it says is the first case of a more dangerous type of mpox outside the African continent.
The person became infected
during a stay in an area of Africa where there is currently a major outbreak of
mpox Clade 1, the agency said.
The news comes just hours
after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the outbreak of mpox in
parts of Africa was now a
public health emergency of international concern.
At least 450 people died
during an initial outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the disease
has since spread to areas of Central and East Africa.
According to Olivia Wigzell,
the acting head of the Swedish public health agency, the infected person had
sought care in the Stockholm area and the fact that they were receiving
treatment in Sweden did not mean there was a risk to the broader population.
"The affected person has
also been infected during a stay in an area of Africa where there is a large
outbreak of mpox Clade 1," she told a news conference.
Mpox, which was previously
known as monkeypox, is transmitted through close contact, such as sex,
skin-to-skin contact and talking or breathing close to another person.
It causes flu-like symptoms,
skin lesions and can be fatal, with four in 100 cases leading to death. It is
most common in the tropical rainforests of West and Central Africa and there
are thousands of infections every year.
There are currently a number
of outbreaks of mpox that are taking place simultaneously and they are partly
fuelled by the newer and more serious type of Clade 1b, identified in September
last year.
There are two types of Clade 1
and the Swedish case has been identified as Clade 1b. Since mpox Clade 1b was
first witnessed in Democratic Republic of Congo there have been confirmed cases
in Burundi, Kenya and Rwanda, before the new case identified in Sweden.
While Clade 2 did cause a
public health emergency in 2022, it was relatively mild and some 300 cases have
already been identified in Sweden.
WHO/Europe said it was
actively engaging with Sweden's health authorities on "how best to manage
the first confirmed case of mpox Clade 1b".
It urged other countries to
act quickly and transparently like Sweden, as there were likely to be further
"imported cases of Clade 1 in the European region over the coming days and
weeks".
The Swedish public health
agency said the more dangerous outbreak was likely to be linked to "a higher rise of a more severe
course of disease and higher mortality".
Dr Jonas Albarnaz, who
specialises in pox viruses at the Pirbright Institute, said the first case
outside of Africa was concerning as it meant the spread “might be larger than
we knew yesterday”.
Dr Brian Ferguson, Associate
Professor of Immunology at the University of Cambridge agreed it was
"clearly a concerning development" but unsurprising given the
severity and spread of the outbreak in Africa.
The WHO hopes its latest
declaration, that mpox is a public health emergency of international concern,
will trigger greater support to the areas most affected.
Vaccines are available, for
those at greatest risk or who have been in close contact with an infected
person, but many experts worry there are not enough jabs or funding to get them
to the people who need them most.
The mortality rate from the
Clade 1b variant in Sweden will not be as high as that seen in parts of Africa,
because of the high quality of healthcare in Europe.
However, Dr Ferguson said
there would likely be further cases in Europe and other parts of the world
"as there are currently no mechanisms in place to stop imported cases of
mpox happening".
The European Centre for
Disease Prevention and Control said symptoms usually appeared 6-13 days after
infection, through fevers and headaches, rashes or sores and muscle ache.
Most people experienced mild
to moderate symptoms followed by a full recovery, but immuno-compromised
individuals were at greater risk.
While news of the first case
outside Africa may cause alarm, it was to be expected.
As other disease outbreaks
have shown, swift international action can help stop the disease spreading
further.
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