KUWAIT, A case of the Monkeypox (Mpox) virus has been reported in Sweden Thursday, only a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared its outbreak an international public health emergency.

A person seeking healthcare in Stockholm was diagnosed with the Mpox strain clade I, which is the first case caused by clade I to be diagnosed outside the African continent, said the Public Health Agency of Sweden in a statement.

In this case, a person has been infected during a stay in the part of Africa where there is a major outbreak of Mpox clade I, adding that the patient has received care and rules of conduct, said Chief Epidemiologist Magnus Gisslén in the statement.

Gisslen pointed out that a patient with Mpox being treated in the country does not affect the risk to the general population, a risk the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) currently considers very low, noting that occasional imported cases like this one may continue to occur.

Sweden has a preparedness to diagnose, i
solate, and treat people with Mpox safely, said the statement.

The WHO announced Wednesday that Mpox has become a global health emergency, the highest warning level the UN has ever issued. Mpox is a viral disease that causes painful rashes, enlarged lymph nodes and fever, and is spread via direct contact with infected individuals through touch, sexual intercourse or respiratory secretions.

Source : Kuwait News Agency