The viral infection known as mpox, which is renowned for spreading through close interaction, found its first victim outside of Africa in Sweden. This alarming development occurred a day following the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) notification of this illness being a global health concern for the second time in two years. The infected individual had been in an area of Africa experiencing a significant outbreak of the disease, hinted Olivia Wigzell, the leader of the Swedish Public Health Agency, during a media gathering.
The WHO’s announcement followed the spread of mpox from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighbouring countries. Jakob Forssmed, Sweden’s health and social affairs secretary, disclosed during the same media event that Sweden confirmed it’s first case of the particularly severe strain of mpox, known as Clade I.
Wigzell further disclosed that the infected individual had adhered to the health organisation’s directives and obtained the necessary medical attention. She concluded by stating that this marked the first diagnosed case of the mpox Clade I strain outside of Africa. The infected individual had also contracted the disease whilst residing in an African region experiencing a severe Clade I mpox outbreak, she added. – Reuters