United States: The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Thursday that a case of the MPOX viral infection (Monkeypox) in Sweden was linked to an outbreak in Africa. This revelation marked the initial indication of its expansion beyond the African continent, following the WHO’s designation of the ailment as a global public health emergency just a day prior.
During a press conference, Swedish health authorities disclosed that the individual contracted the Clade Ib strain of MPOX while in Africa. The patient is currently undergoing medical treatment. Swedish officials have assessed the likelihood of widespread infection among the general populace as “very low,” although they caution that sporadic imported cases might persist, according to the reports stratnewsglobal.com.
Officials in both the United States and Canada have reported that they have yet to identify any instances of the infection within their borders.
The European Regional Office of the WHO stated that additional cases are expected to be verified across Europe, underscoring the “interconnectedness of our world.”
The WHO declared the African outbreak a public health emergency on Wednesday, following the disease’s proliferation from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries, as reported by stratnewsglobal.com.
The Clade Ib strain, implicated in the ongoing outbreak, is believed to induce a more severe form of MPOX compared to the strain responsible for the 2022 public health emergency. The virus is primarily transmitted through close contact.
According to the WHO, 548 fatalities have occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the emergence of MPOX earlier this year. Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba stated, “According to the latest epidemiological report, our country has recorded 15,664 potential cases and 548 deaths since the start of the year, as reported by stratnewsglobal.com.
Eight provinces, including North and South Kivu, Tshopo, North Ubangi, and Equateur, are affected. The nation comprises 26 provinces with a total population of approximately 100 million. The WHO’s decision to declare a public health emergency was made a day after the African Union’s public health watchdog declared its own emergency.