Sweden confirms first case of Mpox strain circulating in Africa

Sweden announced on Thursday that it had confirmed a case of the more contagious variant of Mpox, which is currently circulating in Central and East Africa.

This is the first known infection with this strain outside Africa.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization declared Mpox – formerly known as monkeypox – a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that spread to 12 other countries in the region.

“We have now also received confirmation this afternoon that we have a case of the more serious form of Mpox in Sweden, the so-called Clade I,” said Health and Social Affairs Minister Jakob Forssmed at a press conference.

Mpox is a viral infection that spreads through close contact. It is divided into two different virus groups, the so-called clades: Clade I and Clade II.

The strain that spread widely in 2022 and led to the WHO's first declaration of a public health emergency was a Clade II version. However, the current outbreak is a Clade I version, which, according to the Swedish Health Agency, “is likely to be associated with a higher risk of more severe disease and higher mortality.”

A press release from the agency said that the patient suffering from Mpox sought medical treatment in Stockholm after a stay in Africa.

The Clade I variant responsible for the outbreak in Congo also appears to be relatively easily transmitted through everyday close contact, such as between members of a household. This is a marked difference from the Clade II variant, which was transmitted mainly through sexual contact between men who had sex with men during the outbreak two years ago.