Sweden records its first case of deadly monkeypox strain
The Swedish Public Health Agency on Thursday, confirmed a case of deadly Monkeypox from one of their citizens in Stockholm.
The infected individual was diagnosed with the Clade 1b subclade of the virus which marks the first time this strain has been identified outside Africa.
This strain has been responsible for the significant surge in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since September 2023.
“A person who sought care in Stockholm has been diagnosed with mpox caused by the clade I variant. It is the first case caused by clade I to be diagnosed outside the African continent,” the agency stated.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak a global public health emergency.
The outbreak in the DRC has been devastating, with 548 deaths reported since the start of the year. On Wednesday, August 14, the WHO declared the situation in the DRC and neighbouring countries a public health emergency of international concern.
Monkeypox was first discovered in humans in 1970 in what is now the DRC. The virus is transmitted from infected animals to humans and can also spread through close physical contact between people. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and large boil-like skin lesions.
