First mpox case outside Africa reported amid ongoing outbreak

Sweden on Thursday became the first country outside Africa to report a mpox case linked to the ongoing outbreak, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared as a global public health emergency.

The Swedish government confirmed the infection, attributed to the clade Ib type of mpox virus involved in the recent outbreak. According to officials, the person is undergoing treatment after getting infected with the virus in Africa.

Mpox clade I, responsible for the current outbreak, is believed to be more virulent than the version that caused the previous mpox outbreak, which the WHO named as a public health emergency in 2022.

The virus, formerly known as monkeypox, spreads through close contact, leading to fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes as some of its symptoms.

The U.S. and Canada have yet to report mpox cases linked to the latest outbreak.