It is the first case caused by clade I to be diagnosed outside the African continent, reports the Public Health Agency of Sweden.
“In this case a person has been infected during a stay in the part of Africa where there is a major outbreak of mpox clade I. The person in Sweden who has been confirmed to be infected has received care and rules of conduct,” says Magnus Gisslén, state epidemiologist at the Public Health Agency of Sweden.
The World Health Organization WHO has declared the clade I mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in neighboring countries a public health emergency of international concern.”
The World Health Organization WHO has declared the clade I mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in neighboring countries a public health emergency of international concern.
Clade 1
Clade I causes the same disease as clade IIb, the variant previously found in Sweden, but is likely to be associated with a higher risk of a more severe course of disease and higher mortality. The previous global outbreak of clade IIb has mainly been spread through sexual contact, while clade I is more commonly spread through other contact routes, mainly close contacts within the household and often to children.
The fact that a patient with mpox is treated in the country does not affect the risk to the general population, a risk that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) currently considers very low.”
Sweden has a preparedness to diagnose, isolate and treat people with mpox safely. The fact that a patient with mpox is treated in the country does not affect the risk to the general population, a risk that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) currently considers very low. A new assessment is expected shortly. However, occasional imported cases like the current one may continue to occur.
Access to vaccines and antivirals
Mpox is classified as dangerous to public health which means that there is a preparedness for infection control measures such as tracing, testing and rules of conduct. Sweden also has access to vaccines and antivirals.
“This case does not require any additional infection control measures in itself, but we take the outbreak of clade I mpox very seriously. We are closely monitoring the outbreak and we are continuously assessing whether new measures are needed,” says Gisslén.
Approximately 300 cases of mpox have previously been identified in Sweden, all linked to the global outbreak of the clade IIb virus variant.
Source: Public Health Agency of Sweden
Image caption: Colorized transmission electron micrograph of mpox virus particles (red) found within an infected cell (blue), cultured in the laboratory. Image captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID
