Europe: Sweden Confirms First Case of Mpox and Puts the Old Continent on Alert
Person Infected with the Mpox, Aug 2024 Photo: EFE
August 16, 2024 Hour: 8:00 pm
The case has been detected in the Stockholm region and is a person who was in the area of Africa affected by the outbreak.
The first case outside of Africa in the current outbreak of mpox (formerly known as monkey smallpox) was detected last Thursday in Sweden, reported Swedish Social Affairs Minister Jakob Forssmed.
Related:
African Health Institutions Declares Mpox as a Medical Emergency in the Continent
The case has been detected in the Stockholm region and is a person who was in the area of Africa affected by the outbreak.
“The person in Sweden has received treatment and rules of behavior (which must follow) according to current recommendations,” said Olivia Wigzell, acting director general of the Public Health Agency.
The case does not increase the risk for the Swedish population in general, said Wigzell, who said that no additional infection control measures are needed at this time.
The European Union (EU) for its part will discuss new measures in response to the international public health emergency declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) following the current outbreak of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at a technical meeting on Monday.
Similarly, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said on Friday in an updated risk assessment that it is “very likely” that there will be more imported cases of mpox but ruled out that there may be a continued contagion if action is taken quickly.
The ECDC called for ensuring effective surveillance, laboratory testing, epidemiological research and contact tracing capabilities, similar to those called for by the WHO.
Autor: OSG
Fuente: EFE-Reuters
