Sweden reports first case of more infectious form of mpox first identified in Congo

Swedish health officials have stated that they have confirmed the first case of the more contagious monkeypox virus, initially discovered in eastern Congo. This announcement comes a day after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak in Congo and other parts of Africa a global health emergency.

The Swedish Public Health Agency said in a statement that the patient recently sought medical care in Stockholm. "In this case, the patient was infected (with the more contagious monkeypox virus) during a stay in a region severely affected by the outbreak in Africa," the agency said on Thursday (early Friday AEST).

Magnus Gisslén, a state epidemiologist at the Swedish Health Agency, stated that the patient has received treatment and been informed of "rules of conduct." Swedish officials stated that "the treatment of monkeypox patients in the country does not affect the risk to the general population." Experts estimate that the risk to the general population is "very low," but they added that imported cases may continue to occur occasionally.

Earlier this year, scientists reported the emergence of a new, more deadly monkeypox virus in a mining town in Congo. They are concerned that this virus may be more easily transmitted, with a fatality rate as high as 10%. Monkeypox is primarily spread through close contact with infected individuals, including sexual contact.

The World Health Organization reports that more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths have been reported in a dozen African countries this year, already exceeding last year's figures. To date, over 96% of cases and deaths have occurred in Congo alone. Given the capacity of Sweden and other wealthy nations to prevent the spread of monkeypox, scientists believe that if new outbreaks linked to Congo are detected, transmission can be controlled relatively quickly.