WHO chief Tedro urges global cooperation after 1st Mpox Clade 1 case identified in Sweden

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared the spread of Mpox in Africa a global health emergency, following a similar declaration by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  On August 15, Sweden became the first country outside Africa to report a case of the Mpox Clade 1 variant, which is thought to be driving the current outbreak.  

On Wednesday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the spread of Monkeypox, also known as Mpox, in Africa as a global health emergency. This announcement followed the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's declaration of the virus as a public health emergency on the continent the previous day.

Africa has reported over 14,000 cases of Mpox and 524 deaths this year. This marks a 160% increase compared to last year’s figures, raising concerns that the virus could potentially spread to other countries.

On August 15, 2024, the World Health Organization announced that Sweden became the first country outside of Africa to report a case of the Mpox Clade 1 variant, which is believed to be fueling the latest outbreak.

"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," Health and Social Affairs Minister Jakob Forssmed told a news conference.

Earlier today, the WHO director tweeted, "Identification of the first #mpox clade 1b infection in Sweden underscores the need for affected countries to tackle the virus together. We encourage all countries to enhance surveillance, share data, and work to better understand the  transmission; share tools like vaccines; and apply lessons learned from prior public health emergencies of international concern in addressing the current outbreak."

Mpox belongs to the same virus family as smallpox but usually results in milder symptoms like fever, chills, and body aches. More severe symptoms include lesions, sores, ulcers, or other skin abnormalities.