"Monkeypox"

New Mpox variant: now first case in the EU

This is what the pathogen looks like under the microscope.(Bild: APA/AFP/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/Handout)

According to the Swedish government, Sweden has reported the first confirmed case of the new Mpox variant clade I. It is the first confirmed infection outside the African continent.

The case was detected in the Stockholm region, Swedish Minister of Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed announced at a press conference broadcast on Swedish television. "This is of course something we take seriously," said Forssmed, expressing his concern. The infected person had previously been in Africa.

WHO declares highest alert level
The World Health Organization (WHO) had declared the highest alert level due to several Mpox outbreaks in Africa and the new potentially dangerous variant. According to experts, clade I is likely to be more contagious than previous variants and cause a more severe infection.

Mpox

• Mpox used to be called monkeypox because it was first detected in monkeys by chance.
• The virus is related to the classic smallpox virus.
• The pathogen mainly causes a skin rash, but also fever and muscle pain.
• There are two vaccines, but nowhere near enough doses in Africa.

According to Olivia Wigzell from the Swedish Public Health Agency, there is no risk of the case having an impact on the general population. "In our assessment, the case itself does not currently require any further infection control measures, but we are of course following developments closely," said Wigzell at the press conference with the Minister of Social Affairs.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), clade I infections had previously only been observed in Central Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).