Sweden has confirmed the detection of the first case of a more dangerous strain of the mpox virus outside Africa. Health and Social Affairs Minister Jacob Forsmed announced at a press conference on Thursday that a severe variant of the mpox virus, known as Clade 1, has been identified in Sweden. This Clade 1 strain is more dangerous and spreads through close contact compared to other forms of the virus. According to BBC, citing Sweden’s public health agency, the infected individual had recently traveled to Africa, though the specific country was not disclosed.
Mpox has spread at an alarming rate in African countries, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global public health emergency. This is the second time in two years that an emergency has been declared due to mpox, with the first emergency declared in 2022 due to an outbreak. The initial outbreak occurred in Congo and subsequently spread to neighboring countries. The early outbreak in Congo resulted in at least 450 deaths. The virus was previously known as monkeypox.
The virus, formerly known as monkeypox, spreads through contact with an infected person. It can be transmitted through sexual contact, skin-to-skin contact, talking, or breathing. Symptoms include flu-like symptoms and sores, and while the impact can sometimes be mild, it can also result in death.
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