On Thursday, Sweden reported its first case of the more dangerous mpox variant outside Africa, which has been declared a global public health emergency by the WHO.

The Swedish public health agency confirmed to AFP that the case involves the Clade 1b subclade of the virus, which has been rapidly spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo since September 2023.

"A person who sought care" in Stockholm "has been diagnosed with mpox caused by the clade I variant. It is the first case caused by clade I to be diagnosed outside the African continent," the agency said in a statement.

According to state epidemiologist Magnus Gisslen, the infection occurred during the patient's visit to "the part of Africa where there is a major outbreak of mpox clade I".

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The Swedish health authorities have assured that the patient is receiving appropriate care, and the country is equipped to diagnose, isolate, and treat mpox cases safely.

"The fact that a patient with mpox is treated in the country does not affect the risk to the general population, a risk that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) currently considers very low," it said.

The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has resulted in 548 deaths since the beginning of the year. The WHO declared the situation a public health emergency of international concern on Wednesday.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, was first identified in humans in 1970 in what is now the DRC. It is an infectious disease transmitted from animals to humans and can also spread through close physical contact between people, causing symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, and large, boil-like skin lesions.