A person infected with Mpox, August 2024. Photo: EFE
August 16, 2024 8:00 PM
The case was confirmed in the Stockholm area and is in a person who has been in parts of Africa affected by the outbreak.
Sweden's Minister of Social Welfare, Jakob Forsmed, reported that the first case of the currently epidemic monkeypox (formerly known as monkey smallpox) outside of Africa was confirmed in Sweden last Thursday.
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African health authorities declare Mpox a medical emergency on the continent
The case was confirmed in the Stockholm area and is in a person who has been in parts of Africa affected by the outbreak.
“People in Sweden are receiving treatment and behavioural guidelines in accordance with current recommendations,” said Olivia Wigtsell, deputy director of the Public Health Agency.
Wigsell said the case did not increase the risk to the Swedish population as a whole and no additional prevention measures were needed at this time.
Europe rushes to contain MPOX (Worthy News Radio) – https://t.co/NgCiSVG9ua
Health officials across Europe are rushing to contain an outbreak of MPOX, formerly known as monkeypox, after a more severe strain was detected in Sweden, prompting officials to urge European leaders to impose travel bans. pic.twitter.com/NSxauubTm8
— Worthy News (@worthynews) August 16, 2024
Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) is due to discuss at a technical meeting on Monday new measures to respond to the international public health emergency declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to the MPOX outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Similarly, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in an updated risk assessment on Friday that further imported cases of MPOX were “very likely,” but ruled out continued transmission if measures were taken swiftly.
The ECDC called for effective surveillance, laboratory testing, epidemiological studies and contact tracing capacities similar to those required by WHO.
Author: OSG
Source: EFE-Reuters
