Sweden has recorded its first case of mpox - the first confirmed case in Europe. At least 450 people have died following an initial outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The World Health Organization has since declared a global public health emergency after its spread to other countries.
On Thursday, Sweden’s health and social affairs minister Jakob Forssmed revealed the country had recorded its first case of the virus. At a news conference, he said: “We have now also during the afternoon had confirmation that we have one case in Sweden of the more grave type of mpox, the one called Clade I.” Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes milder symptoms like fever, chills and body aches.
People with more serious cases can develop characteristic lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals. More than 14,000 mpox cases and 524 deaths have been reported in Africa this year alone, with more than 96 per cent of fatalities reported from the Democratic Republic of Congo. More to follow on this breaking new story.