Sweden’s Public Health Agency has announced the first confirmed case of a highly contagious new variant of mpox, marking the first time this variant has been identified outside the African continent. The patient contracted the virus while in a region of Africa currently experiencing a significant outbreak of the more dangerous mpox Clade 1.

This development comes on the heels of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring the mpox outbreak in parts of Africa as a public health emergency of international concern. The WHO’s warning underscores the severity of the outbreak, which has already claimed at least 450 lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo before spreading to other parts of central and eastern Africa.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral disease transmitted through close contact, including skin-to-skin contact, sexual activity, and close-range respiratory droplets. The infection presents flu-like symptoms, along with skin lesions, and can be fatal in about 4% of cases. There are two identified strains of mpox: Clade 1 and Clade 2.

While Sweden has previously reported cases of the milder Clade 2 variant, which caused a public health emergency in 2022, this is the first instance of the more severe Clade 1 variant being detected in the country. The Swedish Public Health Agency has warned that Clade 1 is associated with a “higher rise of a more severe course of disease and higher mortality.”

Clade 1 is more commonly spread through close contacts within households, often affecting children, whereas Clade 2 has primarily been transmitted through sexual contact. Health officials are now closely monitoring the situation, concerned about the potential for this more severe strain to spread within Europe.

As the global community braces for potential outbreaks, health authorities are urging individuals to remain vigilant and practice precautionary measures to reduce the risk of infection.

Credit: BBC