The Swedish Public Health Agency has confirmed the first case of a more severe mpox variant, Clade 1b, outside the African continent.
The confirmation was made during a press briefing on Thursday, August 15, 2024, a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in parts of Africa. The individual contracted the virus while in an African region currently experiencing a significant outbreak.
According to Olivia Wigzell, acting head of the Swedish Public Health Agency, the case identified in Stockholm does not pose an immediate threat to the wider population. “The affected person was infected during a stay in an African area with a large mpox Clade 1 outbreak,” Wigzell stated.
The WHO’s declaration of mpox as a public health emergency aims to rally international resources and attention to the affected regions. The organization is collaborating with Swedish health officials to manage the situation and has advised other countries to prepare for possible imported cases of Clade 1.
READ ALSO: WHO declares mpox global health emergency
Dr. Jonas Albarnaz, a pox virus expert at the Pirbright Institute, described the first case outside Africa as troubling, suggesting the outbreak “might be larger than we knew yesterday.” Dr. Brian Ferguson, an Associate Professor of Immunology at the University of Cambridge, shared similar concerns, noting that the spread of Clade 1b beyond Africa, while concerning, was not surprising given the virus’s severity and scope.
Vaccination efforts are being prioritized for those at highest risk or those who have had close contact with infected individuals. However, experts caution that there may be insufficient vaccines and funding to protect all vulnerable populations adequately.
Though the Swedish case has not led to widespread transmission, the situation is evolving, with health authorities in Europe and beyond remaining vigilant for additional cases. The WHO’s recent declaration is intended to encourage a coordinated international response to what is increasingly seen as a serious global health threat.
READ ALSO: Monkeypox Outbreak: Ghana records four deaths, 116 cases
Background
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Mpox, originally known as monkeypox, was first identified as a zoonotic virus in the 1970s in Central and West Africa’s tropical rainforests. Related to the smallpox virus, mpox is less contagious and generally less severe. The virus has two main clades, Clade 1 and Clade 2, with Clade 1b emerging as a more recent and dangerous variant. Historically, mpox outbreaks have been confined to Africa, but the spread of Clade 1b beyond the continent has raised global alarms, prompting renewed efforts to control the virus and prevent further transmission.
Mpox spreads through close contact, including sexual activity, skin-to-skin contact, and respiratory droplets. It causes symptoms similar to the flu, along with skin lesions, and has a mortality rate of around four percent. Although mpox is most commonly found in the tropical rainforests of West and Central Africa, where thousands of cases occur annually, the emergence of Clade 1b has heightened global concerns due to its increased severity.
The World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that Clade 1b was first identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has since been confirmed in several other African countries, including Burundi, Kenya, and Rwanda. The case in Sweden marks the first known occurrence of this variant outside Africa, indicating a potential wider spread of the disease.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Mary Asantewaa Buabeng
