The First Case Of Mpox Monkeypoxpox Found In Sweden

PIXABAY ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - Sweden has confirmed the first case of mpox/masspox, a virus infection that spreads through close contact.

Earlier on Thursday, the World Health Organization declaredmpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo that has spread to other countries.

"We also received confirmation in the afternoon that we had one case in Sweden regarding a more severe type ofmpox, called Clade I," said Health and Social Minister Jakob Forssmed.

Mpox can spread through close contact. Usually the symptoms are mild, but can be fatal in a number of cases. This disease causes symptoms such as flu and lesions containing pus in the body.

The outbreak in Congo began with the spread of endemic variants, known as klade I. However, the new variant of klade Ib, appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, including sexual intercourse.

The virus has spread from Congo to neighboring countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, which sparked action from WHO.