Sweden reports first case of more dangerous mpox virus outside Africa

Then for decades it was largely neglected by the scientific and public health communities, regarded as an uncommon infection in remote rural areas in tropical Africa without relevance for the rest of the world.

The new variant, which has already been confirmed in Sweden and Pakistan after first being detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), causes skin eruptions all over the body.

Europe is scrambling to deal with a potential surge in mpox cases over the coming weeks after the first diagnosed case was announced in Sweden this week.

The World Health Organization has declared the ongoing outbreaks of mpox in Congo and elsewhere in Africa to be a global emergency, requiring urgent action to curb the virus' transmission.