First Case of Clade 1 Mpox Variant Confirmed in Sweden

Sweden has confirmed its first case of the more virulent Clade 1 variant of mpox, the first case of this strain outside of Africa. The information came from Jakob Forssmed, Sweden’s Minister for Health and Social Affairs, and was not entirely unexpected as the variant was described as having an extremely high fatality rate. This case was tied to the outbreaks that had started in central and eastern Africa, and the World Health Organization’s announcement of a global emergency was made shortly thereafter, on July 11. Clade 1 of the virus had historically also been more deadly than the Clade 2 variant, which did not in itself cause mpox. To this date, a significant number of deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo are believed to have been caused by this strain.

The call of the Swedish Public health Agency, headed by Director-General Olivia Wigzell, was unequivocal in that the international response to the situation was a matter of urgency. Fortunately, the WHO and the other health organizations have been working to contain the outbreaks and are putting significant effort into rapid testing, clinical care, and stopping the further transmission of the virus.