First Case of More Severe Mpox Strain Reported Beyond Africa
The person had recently traveled to an African country.
A case of mpox clade I has been found in Sweden, the first case of the more severe strain outside of Africa, Swedish authorities said on Aug. 15.
The unidentified patient stayed in an African country where there has been an outbreak of mpox clade I, the Public Health Agency of Sweden said in a statement.
Experts, including the agency, say clade I causes more severe cases than clade II.
A clade II subvariant previously caused about 300 cases in Sweden.
The Public Health Agency of Sweden declined to disclose the African country to which the new patient traveled but said the person has a confirmed infection and has received care.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a virus that was discovered in 1958 among monkeys. The first case among humans was identified in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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Symptoms include rash, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. They usually start within several weeks of exposure and last for several weeks.
Mpox spreads through close contact with people who have mpox and a rash, contact with objects and fabrics that have been used by a person with mpox, and sexual contact involving a person with mpox, according to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases in the United States.
Vaccines exist that can prevent mpox but there are no treatments currently available.
Most people who contract mpox recover, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A small number of cases have led to death.
In Africa this year, more than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths have already been reported, according to the World Health Organization.
Worries stem from the spread of a strain known as clade Ib. The subvariant of clade I has been spreading from Congo to countries that have never reported mpox cases, including Burundi, Kenya, and Uganda.
Mpox has been found in 13 African countries, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with cases up 160 percent and deaths up 19 percent so far this year when compared to the same period of time in 2023.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
