Sweden reports first mpox case amid WHO's global emergency declaration and African outbreaks.
Sweden reported its first case of the highly infectious mpox (formerly monkeypox) virus, following the World Health Organization's declaration of a global emergency due to ongoing outbreaks in Africa. The infection occurred during the individual's stay in an African region experiencing a major mpox outbreak. The WHO has warned about the likelihood of more cases of the new, more dangerous strain of mpox in Europe, as the virus has spread to countries that have never reported cases before. Swedish authorities consider the risk to the public to be low but expect a new assessment soon with occasional cases related to travel anticipated. Clade 1, associated with more severe illness and deaths, is the variant that infected the Swedish individual.