Is another epidemic coming? The most serious variant of monkeypox was also imported into Sweden

Coordinated international action is vital in order to contain the epidemic outbreak and save human lives, declared the Director General of the WHO.

The country's first case of monkeypox was announced in Sweden on Thursday, marking the first diagnosis of the Mpox-Clade I virus variant outside of Africa.

"During the afternoon, we received confirmation that we have a case of the more severe variant of mpox, the so-called Mpox-Klade I, in Sweden," Social Affairs Minister Jakob Forssmed said at a press conference.

“This is the first occurrence of Mpox-Clade I recorded outside of Africa. The person was infected in an African region where this variant caused a serious outbreak"

- said Olivia Wigzell, head of the Swedish Public Health Agency. He added. that the Swedish population is not in danger because of the one case.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a health emergency of international significance due to a new variant of monkeypox spreading in Africa. The WHO is mainly concerned about a virus variant that was detected in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo in late 2023. It is the Ib subvariant of the Mpox-Clade I variant. Although detailed studies have not yet been prepared, experts assume that it can cause a more contagious and serious disease than the variants known so far.

In recent weeks, the Mpox-Clade I variant has appeared in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya in addition to the DRC.

"It is clear that coordinated international action is vital to contain the outbreak and save human lives"

underlined Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO.

The Democratic Republic of Congo said on Thursday that the virus has killed at least 548 people in the country since the beginning of the year.

MTI

Cover image: Illustration / Photo: MTI/Tibor Rosta