Sweden says it has confirmed the first case of pox clade I, a viral infection that spreads through close contact and is a more dangerous variant of the pox disease.
The Swedish government announced on Thursday, marking the first case of the variant outside of Africa, adding that more cases are expected in the region in the coming days.
“We have now also during the afternoon had confirmation that we have one case in Sweden of the more grave type of pox, the one called clade I,” Health and Social Affairs Minister Jakob Forssmed told a news conference on Thursday.
The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared pox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to other countries.
Neither the US nor Canada have identified any cases thus far. Sweden’s public health agency said in its statement on Thursday that “occasional imported cases like the current one may continue to occur” in the coming days and weeks.
Swedish state epidemiologist Magnus Gisslen said in a statement that the person became infected during a trip to “the part of Africa where there is a major outbreak of pox clade I” and that they have “received care” after seeking medical assistance in Stockholm.
“The fact that a patient with pox is treated in the country does not affect the risk to the general population, a risk that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) currently considers very low,” Gisslen added.
The WHO on Wednesday said 548 people have been killed by pox in the DRC this year, and declared a global public health emergency following the outbreak of pox in several neighbouring countries.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also declared pox a public health emergency on the continent on Tuesday.
“On top of outbreaks of other pox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a social media post on Wednesday.
