Sweden Reports Mpox Case—First Non-African Country With New Variant

Forbes Business Breaking Sweden Reports Mpox Case—First Non-African Country With New Variant Molly Bohannon Forbes Staff Molly Bohannon has been a Forbes news reporter since 2023. Following Aug 15, 2024, 01:06pm EDT Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Sweden confirmed it had its first case of mpox, a disease formerly known
Sweden Reports Mpox Case—First Non-African Country With New Variant

Sweden Reports Mpox Case—First Non-African Country With New Variant

Following

Topline

Sweden confirmed it had its first case of mpox, a disease formerly known as monkeypox, shortly after the World Health Organization declared an international health emergency over Africa’s escalating mpox outbreak.

Key Facts

The Public Health Agency of Sweden said in a press release Thursday a person who “sought care at Region Stockholm has been diagnosed with mpox caused by the clade I variant.”

The person had been infected during a stay in Africa, the agency said, adding the diagnosis “does not affect the risk to the general population,” which is currently “very low.”

The case makes Sweden the first country outside of Africa to report a case of the new mpox variant.

The clade I variant is an offshoot of the mpox virus that is “likely to be associated with a higher risk of a more severe course of disease and higher mortality” and seems to spread more easily between people, especially children, through regular close contact within households.

WHO said Wednesday the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and an increasing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, which is “the highest level of alarm under international health law,” WHO’s director general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching text message alerts so you’ll always know the biggest stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.


Key Background

This is the second public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) caused by mpox in as many years. In July 2022 a multi-country outbreak of mpox was declared as a PHEIC as cases “spread rapidly via sexual contact across a range of countries where the virus had not been seen before,” WHO said. That emergency ended less than a year later, in May 2023, after there had been a sustained decline in cases globally. As of Monday, at least 12 countries had reported Clade I mpox infections this year, with 2,863 cases and 517 deaths, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and suspected cases across the continent had surpassed 17,000. The virus itself is a close relative of smallpox, one of the deadliest human pathogens and the only infectious human disease to have been eradicated, though it is less severe.

Is There An Mpox Vaccine?

There is a modern vaccine produced by Bavarian Nordic that was rolled out during the 2022 global outbreak, but supplies are limited and many of the countries with the largest outbreaks are also not equipped with the basic health infrastructure to deliver the shots effectively. But, Africa CDC did sign an agreement with the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority and Bavarian Nordic to provide more than 215,000 doses of their vaccine, and the Africa CDC said it would oversee vaccine distribution and prioritize local needs.

Tangent

The declaration of the international emergency led to Bavarian Nordic’s shares jumping as much as 17% in early trading Thursday in Copenhagen, though gains fell throughout the day. On Wednesday, the company’s stock climbed about 12% following WHO’s declaration of the emergency.

Further Reading

ForbesVaccine Maker Shares Soar After WHO Declares Health Emergency Over Africa Mpox Outbreak

ForbesWHO Declares Mpox A Public Health Emergency—Here’s What To Know ReutersSweden confirms first case of mpox

Follow me on  TwitterSend me a secure  tip

Israel and Hamas. Previously, she has covered a range of topics from Donald Trump’s legal battles to Taylor Swift’s path to becoming a billionaire. She joined Forbes in April 2022 and is based in Colorado. Prior to joining Forbes, Bohannon covered local news and spent time at the Fort Collins Coloradoan and the Arizona Republic. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Creighton University and has an MA in investigative journalism from Arizona State. Follow Bohannon for continued coverage of pop culture, politics and updates on the war in Gaza. 

“>

Total
0
Shares
Leave a Reply
Related Posts

Nintendo Switch Closing In On PS2’s Sales Record

Nintendo's latest earnings report has arrived, and while Switch sales were down dramatically, the console is now even closer to reaching the PS2's high watermark of an estimated 155 million units sold. Through the quarter that ended on June 30, Switch sales stand at 143.42 million units. Nintendo sold 2.1 million Switch consoles in the
BREAKING NEWSPictured: Child victims, aged six, seven and nine, stabbed to death in Southport by hooded knifeman who stormed Taylor Swift-themed dance class – as seven remain in a critical condition
Read More

BREAKING NEWSPictured: Child victims, aged six, seven and nine, stabbed to death in Southport by hooded knifeman who stormed Taylor Swift-themed dance class – as seven remain in a critical condition

Three children stabbed to death by a hooded knifeman who stormed a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport have been named today as seven people including five children remain in a critical condition in hospital.  Bebe King, six, was pronounced dead shortly after the attack, with heartbreaking photographs show her cuddling her father, Ben King.
Who was behind French rail network attack? Transport minister says system is on high alert – but admits there is ‘no new evidence’ as detectives probe theories that leftists or Putin agents firebombed junctions as Olympics opened in Paris
Read More

Who was behind French rail network attack? Transport minister says system is on high alert – but admits there is ‘no new evidence’ as detectives probe theories that leftists or Putin agents firebombed junctions as Olympics opened in Paris

French detectives are continuing to investigate the culprits of a 'massive arson attack' on the country's railway network ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony.  There has been no claim of responsibility for the 'coordinated arson attack' which damaged infrastructure along key lines connecting to Paris where the opening ceremony was staged on Friday night.  The
Jonathan Bennett Says Tina Fey ‘Was onto Something’ with Iconic Line About His Mean Girls Character’s Hair (Exclusive)
Read More

Jonathan Bennett Says Tina Fey ‘Was onto Something’ with Iconic Line About His Mean Girls Character’s Hair (Exclusive)

Jonathan Bennett learned some sage style advice while working with Tina Fey on Mean Girls. At San Diego Comic-Con on Thursday, July 27, the 43-year-old actor spoke to PEOPLE about the comments he hears most from fans of the 2004 comedy film, in which he starred as love interest Aaron Samuels opposite Lindsay Lohan as