The World Health Organisation on Thursday said it had confirmed the first case of the viral infection mpox in Sweden which is connected to an outbreak in Africa.
The case is the first sign of the disease spreading beyond Africa one day after the WHO declared it a worldwide public health emergency.
At a news conference, Swedish health experts stated that the individual became infected with the clade Ib mpox virus while in Africa. The unnamed individual is receiving treatment.
Both US and Canadian officials have stated that they have not identified any cases of mpox.
The WHO declared the African outbreak a public health emergency on Wednesday after infections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo spread to neighbouring countries.
Clade Ib, the virus responsible for the current outbreak, is thought to cause a more severe form of the virus than the version that triggered a public health emergency in 2022.
The virus is spread through close contact.
