Sweden confirmed on Thursday its first case of a more contagious strain of mpox, previously known as monkeypox, which has been primarily circulating in central and eastern Africa. This marks the first documented instance of this strain outside the African continent.
The World Health Organization had declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has extended to twelve other countries in the region.
Health and Social Affairs Minister Jakob Forssmed announced at a news conference that Sweden had identified a case of the more severe clade I strain of mpox.
Mpox is a viral infection transmitted through close physical contact and is divided into two distinct clades: clade I and clade II. The 2022 outbreak that led to the WHO’s initial public health emergency declaration was associated with clade II. In contrast, the ongoing outbreak features clade I, which is believed to have a higher risk of severe illness and increased mortality according to the Public Health Agency of Sweden.
The agency reported that the infected individual sought medical attention in Stockholm after returning from Africa. The clade I strain responsible for the current outbreak in Congo has shown high transmissibility through regular close contact, differing from the clade II strain that was primarily spread through sexual contact among men who have sex with men during the previous outbreak.