WHO confirms first case of mpox outside of Africa as outbreak spreads
Adds expert comment, details on current Congo outbreak
By Anna Ringstrom and Julie Steenhuysen
STOCKHOLM/CHICAGO, Aug 15 (Reuters) -Global health officials on Thursday confirmed an infection with a new strain of the mpox virus in Sweden and linked it to a growing outbreak in Africa, the first sign of its spread outside the continent a day after the World Health Organization declared the disease a global public health emergency.
Swedish health officials said at a press conference that the person was infected while in Africa with the clade Ib type of mpox involved in the recent outbreak. The person is receiving treatment.
"The emergence of a case on the European continent could spur rapid international spread of mpox," said Lawrence Gostin, a public health expert and professor at Georgetown Law in Washington. "A case in Sweden most likely means dozens of undetected cases in Europe."
Dr. Brian Ferguson of the University of Cambridge said the case in a Swedish traveler was concerning but not surprising, given the severity and spread of the outbreak in Africa.
"There will likely be more here and in other parts of the world as there are currently no mechanisms in place to stop imported cases of mpox happening," he said.
The WHO on Wednesday declared the outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of international concern or PHEIC after cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo spread to nearby countries. A PHEIC is WHO's highest level of alert.
There have been 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths, mainly among children, in Congo since the current outbreak began in January 2023
The global vaccine group Gavi told Reuters it has up to $500 million to spend on getting shots to countries affected by the escalating mpox outbreak in Africa.
Both U.S. and Canadian officials have said they have not identified any cases so far.
"This is the first clade I mpox case to be reported outside of the African continent," CDC spokesman David Daigle said in a statement, noting that the agency is watching the outbreak closely.
The CDC recently issued a Health Alert Network update and updated Travel Health Notice to inform U.S. clinicians, travelers, and public health partners about the spread of clade I mpox into countries that have historically not reported cases of mpox
Clade Ib, the strain of the virus behind the current outbreak, is a new variant of clade I that is endemic in the Congo. Clade Ib appears to spread more easily though routine close contact, including sexual contact.
Clade I mpox tends to cause a higher number of severe infections and have a higher mortality rate than clade II mpox, according to U.S. health officials.
In 2022, WHO declared a public health emergency over an outbreak of mpox caused by clade II, which led to more than 95,000 cases across 115 non-endemic countries.
Reporting by Anna Ringstrom and Julie Steenhuysen; Additional reporting by Jennifer Rigby in London; Editing by Bernadette Baum and Jonathan Oatis
Pinakabagong Balita
Disclaimer: Ang mga kabilang sa XM Group ay nagbibigay lang ng serbisyo sa pagpapatupad at pag-access sa aming Online Trading Facility, kung saan pinapahintulutan nito ang pagtingin at/o paggamit sa nilalaman na makikita sa website o sa pamamagitan nito, at walang layuning palitan o palawigin ito, at hindi din ito papalitan o papalawigin. Ang naturang pag-access at paggamit ay palaging alinsunod sa: (i) Mga Tuntunin at Kundisyon; (ii) Mga Babala sa Risk; at (iii) Kabuuang Disclaimer. Kaya naman ang naturang nilalaman ay ituturing na pangkalahatang impormasyon lamang. Mangyaring isaalang-alang na ang mga nilalaman ng aming Online Trading Facility ay hindi paglikom, o alok, para magsagawa ng anumang transaksyon sa mga pinansyal na market. Ang pag-trade sa alinmang pinansyal na market ay nagtataglay ng mataas na lebel ng risk sa iyong kapital.
Lahat ng materyales na nakalathala sa aming Online Trading Facility ay nakalaan para sa layuning edukasyonal/pang-impormasyon lamang at hindi naglalaman – at hindi dapat ituring bilang naglalaman – ng payo at rekomendasyon na pangpinansyal, tungkol sa buwis sa pag-i-invest, o pang-trade, o tala ng aming presyo sa pag-trade, o alok para sa, o paglikom ng, transaksyon sa alinmang pinansyal na instrument o hindi ginustong pinansyal na promosyon.
Sa anumang nilalaman na galing sa ikatlong partido, pati na ang mga nilalaman na inihanda ng XM, ang mga naturang opinyon, balita, pananaliksik, pag-analisa, presyo, ibang impormasyon o link sa ibang mga site na makikita sa website na ito ay ibibigay tulad ng nandoon, bilang pangkalahatang komentaryo sa market at hindi ito nagtataglay ng payo sa pag-i-invest. Kung ang alinmang nilalaman nito ay itinuring bilang pananaliksik sa pag-i-invest, kailangan mong isaalang-alang at tanggapin na hindi ito inilaan at inihanda alinsunod sa mga legal na pangangailangan na idinisenyo para maisulong ang pagsasarili ng pananaliksik sa pag-i-invest, at dahil dito ituturing ito na komunikasyon sa marketing sa ilalim ng mga kaugnay na batas at regulasyon. Mangyaring siguruhin na nabasa at naintindihan mo ang aming Notipikasyon sa Hindi Independyenteng Pananaliksik sa Pag-i-invest at Babala sa Risk na may kinalaman sa impormasyong nakalagay sa itaas, na maa-access dito.
