Mpox started spreading outside Africa! First case found in Sweden, UN also expressed concern

Sweden on Thursday (15 August) confirmed its first case of monkeypox, the first outside Africa, a day after the World Health Organisation declared the disease a global public health emergency for the second time in two years.

Person infected from Africa

Olivia Wigzell, director general of the Swedish Public Health Agency, said in a press conference that the infected person contracted the virus while living in a part of Africa where the disease is widespread.

Ampox is spread through close contact. The WHO has declared it a health emergency after a more severe form of the disease in Congo spread to surrounding countries. Sweden’s health minister said, ‘In the afternoon it was confirmed that there is a case of a more severe form of ampox in Sweden, called Clade-I.’

UN reiterated WHO’s warning

UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq on Thursday reiterated the World Health Organization’s declaration of the ‘pox virus’ as a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’. He said the WHO is also warning about the possibility of the ‘pox virus’ spreading to countries in Africa and possibly outside the continent.

So far this year there have been 17 thousand cases in Africa

A variant of the ampoxvirus – clade IIB – spread worldwide in 2022, primarily through sexual contact between men who have sex with men. The WHO then declared a public health emergency that ended about 10 months later.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said more than 17,000 suspected ampox cases and 517 deaths have been reported on the African continent so far this year, a 160 percent increase in cases compared to last year. In total, cases have been reported in 13 countries.

What are the symptoms of Mpox?

Mpox has symptoms similar to smallpox, including fever, headache, muscle aches and a distinctive rash that often begins on the face and spreads to other parts of the body. The virus is transmitted to humans through direct contact with infected animals, bodily fluids or contaminated materials and can also spread from person to person through respiratory droplets or touch.

The symptoms of Mpox last for 2 to 4 weeks. Mpox is usually mild and in rare cases fatal. It also causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled sores on the body.

Most people experience mild symptoms, but some people can develop more severe illness that requires medical care. Children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems (the ability to fight off diseases) are generally at higher risk of contracting the virus.