First case of monkeypox outside Africa detected

On August 15, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed a case of monkeypox virus infection in Sweden linked to an outbreak of the disease in Africa.

This is the first sign that the disease has spread outside the black continent, a day after the WHO declared a global public health emergency (PHEIC) over the disease.

According to Euro News, Sweden has reported a serious case of monkeypox after returning from Africa. However, the Swedish public health agency added that the patient being treated in the country “does not pose a risk to the general population.” Around 300 cases of monkeypox have previously been detected in Sweden, linked to the 2022 global monkeypox outbreak.

On August 14, the WHO declared a global public health emergency over monkeypox, the second time in two years. The majority of cases and deaths linked to the current outbreak are in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but the virus has been detected in at least 12 other African countries.

Caring for a monkeypox patient in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: WHO

There are two subtypes of the monkeypox virus. Subtype 1, which is prevalent in central Africa, is thought to cause more severe disease and higher mortality. Meanwhile, the global outbreak in 2022 was caused by type 2, which is prevalent in West Africa. The strain responsible for the current monkeypox outbreak is thought to cause more severe symptoms than the strain that caused the 2022 monkeypox outbreak.

HUY QUOC

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/phat-hien-ca-mac-benh-dau-mua-khi-dau-tien-ben-ngoai-chau-phi-post754300.html