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Louise Thomas
Editor
Sweden has recorded its first case of a new variant of mpox - the first confirmed case in Europe.
At least 450 people have died following an initial outbreak of mpox Clade 1 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The World Health Organization has since declared a global public health emergency after its spread to areas of central and east Africa.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, has two types; Clade 1 and Clade 2.
Clade 2 resulted in public health emergency in 2022, but was deemed relatively mild. However, Clade 1 has a high fatality rate.
On Thursday, Sweden’s health and social affairs minister Jakob Forssmed revealed the country had recorded its first case of the strain of the virus.
At a news conference, he said: “We have now also during the afternoon had confirmation that we have one case in Sweden of the more grave type of mpox, the one called Clade I.”
The person was infected while staying in a part of Africa where there was a large outbreak of the disease, said Olivia Wigzell, director-general at the Swedish Public Health Agency.
She added: “The case is the first caused by Clade I that has been diagnosed outside the African continent.
“The affected person has also been infected during a stay in an area of Africa where there is a large outbreak of mpox Clade I.”
Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes milder symptoms like fever, chills and body aches.
People with more serious cases can develop characteristic lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.
More than 14,000 mpox cases and 524 deaths have been reported in Africa this year alone, with more than 96 per cent of fatalities reported from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said there were no cases of Clade 1 so far been recorded in Britain.
Planning was underway for the arrival of the variant, the organisation said.
Dr Meera Chand, a UKHSA deputy director, said: “This includes ensuring that clinicians are aware and able to recognise cases promptly, that rapid testing is available, and that protocols are developed for the safe clinical care of people who have the infection and the prevention of onward transmission,”
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