Sweden records the first case of a new, more contagious variant of monkeypox

Jakarta –

The Swedish public health agency recorded the first case of the new Mpox variant no Monkey bag. The man had the disease while he was living in an area in Africa.

Reported by the BBC, Thursday (16/8/2024), this news appeared several hours after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the Mpox outbreak was in several regions of Africa as a public health emergency. This phenomenon has also become an international concern.

At least 450 people died in the first outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This disease has also spread to central and eastern Africa.

According to Olivia Wigzell, the acting head of Sweden’s public health agency, the infected person had sought treatment in the Stockholm area. The fact that they received treatment in Sweden does not mean that there is a risk to the general population.

Smallpox is spread through close contact, such as sex, skin-to-skin contact, and talking or breathing close to other people. The disease causes flu-like symptoms, skin lesions, and can be fatal, with four in 100 cases resulting in death.

There are two types of mpox, Clade 1 and Clade 2. Although Clade 2 caused a public health crisis in 2022, the disease is relatively mild and around 300 cases have been identified in Sweden.

The Swedish public health agency said that Clade 1 was likely associated with “an increase in more severe disease and higher mortality rates,”.

Clade 1 is said to be usually spread through close family contact and often to children, while milder variants are spread mainly through sexual contact.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control says that symptoms of smallpox usually appear 6-13 days after infection. Patients will experience fever and headache, rash or sores, and muscle aches.

Most people experience mild to moderate symptoms and then make a full recovery, but people with weakened immune systems are at greater risk.

(aik/eva)