Iran Press/ Europe:The World Health Organisation has confirmed a case of mpox in Sweden is linked to an outbreak in Africa – the first time an alarming new variant has been detected outside the continent.
“The case is the first that has been diagnosed outside the African continent,” Olivia Wigzell, acting director general of Sweden’s Public Health Authority, quoted the local broadcaster SVT Nyheter as saying.
According to her, the affected person sought treatment in the Stockholm area, and has been confirmed to be infected with the more contagious variant of the mpox virus known as clade 1.
According to the Public Health Authority, the person was affected during a stay in an area in Africa where there was a major virus outbreak.
The current strain of mpox circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other parts of the continent is thought to be more transmissible and lethal compared to the "clade 2" variant, which initiated the worldwide outbreak in 2022.
