The World Health Organization on Thursday confirmed that a case of the viral infection mpox in Sweden was linked to an outbreak in Africa, the first sign of its spread outside the continent a day after the WHO declared the disease a global public health emergency.
Swedish health officials said at a press conference that the person was infected while in Africa with the clade Ib type of mpox involved in the recent outbreak.
The Swedish public health agency said in a statement the patient recently sought health care in Stockholm.
Magnus Gisslen, a state epidemiologist with the Swedish health agency, said the person had been treated and given “rules of conduct”.
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WHO declares mpox a global health emergency as new form of virus emerges
WHO declares mpox a global health emergency as new form of virus emerges
“The fact that a patient with mpox is treated in the country does not affect the risk to the general population,” Swedish officials said, adding that experts estimate that risk to be “very low”.
They said, however, that occasional imported cases may continue to occur.
Both US and Canadian officials have said they have not identified any cases so far.
The WHO on Wednesday declared the outbreak in Africa a public health emergency after cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo spread to nearby countries.
Clade Ib, the version of the virus behind the current outbreak, is believed to cause a more serious type of mpox than the version that caused a public health emergency in 2022.
The virus is spread by close contact.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
