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The first case of the new MPOX variant was identified in Sweden, the first confirmed case in Europe.
At least 450 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo this year due to an MPOX clade 1 outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global public health emergency on Wednesday after the virus spread to parts of Central and East Africa.
Formerly known as monkeypox, Mpox exists in two types: clade 1 and clade 2.
Lineage 2 caused a public health emergency in 2022 but was deemed relatively mild. Lineage 1, however, is more deadly, and a variant called lineage 1b is spreading rapidly.
Sweden's Minister of Health and Social Affairs, Jakob Forsmed, said on Thursday that the country had confirmed its first case of the virus.
Jean Kakulu Biyambo, 48, a father of six, is being treated with MPOX. Symptoms include a painful rash, swollen lymph nodes and fever. (Reuters)
“This afternoon we confirmed one case in Sweden of the more severe form of MPOX, the so-called 'clade 1',” he told a press conference.
Olivia Wigsell, director of the Swedish Public Health Agency, said the person became infected while visiting an area in Africa where the disease is having a major outbreak.
She added: “This case is the first caused by lineage 1 diagnosed outside the African continent.”
Mpox belongs to the same virus family as smallpox, but causes milder symptoms such as fever, chills and body aches.
People with more severe symptoms may develop characteristic lesions on the face, hands, chest, and genitals.
It is transmitted through close physical contact such as sex, kissing, hugging, and holding hands.
More than 14,000 MPOX cases and 524 deaths have been reported in Africa this year, with more than 96 percent of the deaths reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said no cases of lineage 1 have been recorded in the UK so far.
But the organization said plans are underway for the arrival of variants.
Dr Meera Chand, deputy director of UKHSA, said: “This includes ensuring that clinicians are aware and can recognise cases quickly, that rapid testing is available and that protocols are developed for the safe clinical care of those infected and the prevention of further infection.”
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the emergence and rapid spread of the new MPOX lineage in eastern DRC was “deeply worrying”.
She added: “This, coupled with other MPOX lineage outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other African countries, makes it clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”
