Sweden has confirmed its first case of the more contagious variant of mpox, a viral infection that spreads through close contact, the first time it has been detected outside of Africa. The person was infected while traveling in an area of Africa where there was a large outbreak of the disease, Olivia Wigzell, director general of Sweden’s public health agency, said at a news conference.
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, after an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo spread to other countries. Wigzell said the infected person had been receiving care and education in line with the health agency’s recommendations.
