Stockholm: A more severe variant of Mpox (formerly Monkey pox) has been confirmed in Sweden.
Sweden's Minister of Health and Social Affairs Jakob Forsmed announced this in a press conference. This is the first time this variant has been confirmed outside of Africa and continental Europe.
The country's public health agency said in a statement that the disease was confirmed in Sweden following a clade one mutation of Mpox. It is suggested that the infection was caused by a visit to the current pox-infested area in Africa. The patient has started treatment.
Mpox has two major variants, Clade One and Clade Two. The World Health Organization declared a public health emergency in 2022 following the clade two monkeypox outbreak. Clade two is less severe than clade one. Clade two monkeypox has already been confirmed in several countries, including Sweden.
The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared a health emergency in the context of the rapid spread of pox in African countries. Previously, and as of 8 August 2024, 22 662 confirmed mpox cases have been reported by 29 countries in the EU/EEA via The European Surveillance System (TESSy) as part of the outbreak driven by clade IIb. Most cases (93%) were reported during an intense period of circulation in 2022. In 2024, 685 cases have been reported by 20 EU/EEA countries
