The strain of Mpox, responsible for the major monkeypox epidemic in Africa, has been detected in Sweden.
- The first case of Mpox has been discovered in Sweden.
- The person was infected during a stay in Africa. She was treated by Swedish health professionals.
- According to the WHO, further imported cases of clade 1 could be recorded in Europe “in the coming days and weeks”.
While the WHO has just triggered the highest level of alert on Wednesday in the face of the Mpox epidemic in Africa, a first case infected by the new variant has been identified in Sweden.
Following the announcement, global health authorities acknowledged that they feared further cases of the disease could be discovered in Europe. “in the next few days.”
Mpox in Sweden: a contamination that occurred in Africa
The first European case of the disease, formerly known as monkeypox, was reported on August 15, 2024. “The affected person was infected during a stay in a region of Africa where there is a major epidemic of MPOX subtype clade 1”Olivia Wigzell, acting head of Sweden’s public health agency, told a news conference. She added that the patient infected with the clade 1b strain was being cared for by healthcare professionals. He was also given the recommendations provided for by current regulations to prevent transmission of the virus.
The Swedish health authorities assure in their press release that the fact “That a person is treated for Mpox in the country does not imply risks for the rest of the population”.
Monkeypox: more cases in “the coming days”
However, the discovery of this case of monkeypox on European soil has raised fears within the WHO. “The confirmation of MPOX subtype clade 1 in Sweden clearly reflects the interconnectedness of our world (…) It is likely that further imported cases of clade 1 will be recorded in the European region in the coming days and weeks”the global agency responded in a statement sent on August 15.
The variant called clade 1b was discovered in the DRC last year. Last month, it was also spotted in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. This strain is more virulent and contagious than the others. In addition, its mortality rate is estimated at 3.6%.
The health agency Africa CDC reported that 38,465 cases of monkeypox and 1,456 deaths have been recorded in 16 African countries since January 2022. Additionally, a 160% increase in cases in 2024 compared to the previous year was observed.
