What's happened
Sweden has confirmed its first case of mpox, specifically the more serious clade I variant, marking the first instance of this strain outside Africa. The World Health Organization recently declared a global health emergency due to an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to The Guardian, Sweden's health and social affairs minister Jakob Forssmed confirmed the case, stating, 'We have now also during the afternoon had confirmation that we have one case in Sweden of the more grave type of mpox, the one called clade I.' The Independent adds that this case is significant as it marks the first confirmed instance of this variant outside Africa, highlighting the global implications of the outbreak. The South China Morning Post notes that the WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency, indicating the seriousness of the situation and the need for vigilance in monitoring imported cases.
How we got here
The mpox outbreak began in the Democratic Republic of Congo, leading to over 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in Africa this year. The WHO's recent declaration of a global health emergency highlights the severity of the situation.
More on these topics
-
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution, which establishes the agency's governing structure and principles, states its main objective as "the attainment
-
Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, Finland to the east, and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund Strait.
-
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.3 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area and 20% of its land area.