According to government information, Sweden has the first confirmed case of the new type I smallpox outside of Africa. This was announced by Swedish Minister of Social Affairs Jakob Forsmed at a press conference broadcast on Swedish television. The case was therefore identified in the Stockholm area. “This is of course something we take very seriously,” said Forsmed. – The infected person has previously been in Africa.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared its highest level of alert due to the outbreak of several smallpox cases in Africa and the new type that may be dangerous. According to experts, the first branch is likely to be more contagious than previous variants and cause more severe infections.
No risk
According to Olivia Wigzel from the Swedish Public Health Agency, there is no risk that the case will have an impact on the general population. “In our opinion, the case itself does not currently require any additional measures to protect against infection, but of course we are following developments closely,” Wigzel said at the press conference with the Minister of Social Affairs.
Mpox was formerly called monkeypox because it was first discovered accidentally in monkeys. The virus is related to the classic smallpox virus. It mainly causes a rash, but also fever and muscle pain. There are two vaccines, but not enough doses in Africa.
According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), cases of type 1 infection had previously only been observed in Central Africa, including in particular in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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