WHO confirms first case of new mpox strain outside Africa
(VOVWORLD) - Health officials on Thursday confirmed an infection with a new strain of the mpox virus in Sweden and linked it to the growing outbreak in Africa, the first sign of its spread beyond the continent a day after the World Health Organization declared the disease a global public health emergency.
 The hands of an mpox infected patient. (Photo: Getty Images/ VNA) |
Swedish health officials said at a press conference that the person was infected while in Africa and is now receiving treatment.
“We’re treating a patient in the Stockholm area. This is the first case diagnosed outside the African continent. The individual has been confirmed to be infected with the more contagious clade 1 variant of the mpox virus. The person contracted the virus while staying in a region of Africa currently experiencing a major outbreak,” said Olivia Wigzell, Acting Director General of Sweden's Public Health Authority.
The WHO on Wednesday declared the outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of international concern – or PHEIC – after cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo spread to nearby countries. A PHEIC is WHO's highest level of alert.
There have been 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths, mainly among children, in Congo since the current outbreak began in January 2023.