WHO issues dire warning for Europe after first Mpox case detected in Sweden
The infection in Sweden of a more contagious variant of Mpox has sparked alarm around the world, amid claims that there are “dozens of undetected cases in Europe”.
The deadlier form of mpox can kill up to 10 percent of those infected. (Image: Getty)
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a public health emergency of international concern after the first case of a more contagious variant of mpox was found in Europe.
On Thursday, Swedish health officials announced that a person in Stockholm had been infected with the Clade 1b subclade, a viral strain that can spread through close contact and kills up to 10 percent of those infected.
The traveller was infected while in a part of Africa where there was a large outbreak, according to Swedish officials.
This marks the first reported case of the deadlier Mpox strain outside of Africa. The viral infection has so far run rampant in the Democratic Republic of Congo since September last year and has since spread to Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
Lawrence Gostin, a public health expert and professor at Georgetown Law in Washington, said the “emergence of a case on the European continent could spur the rapid international spread of Mpox”.
