Gamla Stan in Stockholm, Sweden

Sweden confirms first case of new variant of monkeypox outside Africa

The first case outside Africa in the current outbreak of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) was detected Thursday in Sweden, Swedish Social Affairs Minister Jakob Forssmed said. “It is of course something we take seriously,” he told a press conference, according to Swedish news agency SmartNews.

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The case has been detected in the Stockholm region and is a person who was in the area of Africa affected by the outbreak. “The person in Sweden has received treatment and behavioral rules (to be followed) according to current recommendations,” said Olivia Wigzell, acting director general of the Public Health Agency.

The case does not increase the risk to the Swedish population in general, said Wigzell, according to whom no additional infection control measures are needed for the time being.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday declared the current outbreak of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which has spread to other nearby countries, as a public health emergency of international concern.

This is the second time in two years that this infectious disease has been considered a potential international health threat, an alert that was initially lifted in May last year after its spread was contained and the situation was considered to be under control.

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The new variant can be easily transmitted by close contact between two individuals, without requiring sexual contact, and is considered more dangerous than the 2022 variant.

-Thailand News (TN)

TN

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