A person who sought care in the Stockholm area has tested positive for the variant of the mpox virus known as clade 1.
– It is an adult person who is doing well under the circumstances, says Maria Rotzén Östlund, infectious disease doctor in Region Stockholm.
Spread of mpox
Region Västerbotten ready if the Mpox virus comes
The government lightning calls a special group to mpox meeting
The person was infected after staying in an area in Africa where the virus is spreading.
– This person was infected very early and we find it difficult to see that there would be a larger spread of infection going on, says Maria Rotzén Östlund.
According to Maria Rotzén Östlund, routines for how to handle mpox are in place after the mpox outbreak in 2022, even though clade 1 is considered to be a more contagious variant.
The expert: Lack of knowledge about viruses
Niklas Arnberg, professor of virology, says that lessons can be learned from the corona pandemic even though mpox is a completely different disease.
– An important difference when it comes to mpox, which is a cousin of the smallpox virus, is that antiviral drugs and vaccines have been developed that are very likely to protect against mpox.
However, he sees that there is generally a lack of both knowledge and tools when it comes to viruses that risk causing pandemics.
WHO has announced eight warnings in 14 years
Including mpox, the WHO has declared eight “international public health emergencies” in the past 14 years, all of which have been caused by a virus, says Niklas Arnberg.
– I think it is proof that we do not have enough knowledge and tools to fight and prevent pandemics caused by viruses, he says.
According to Niklas Arnberg, there are antiviral drugs against approximately five percent of all known viruses that can cause disease in humans.
– Before the pandemic, there was almost no one who devotedly researched the coronavirus in Sweden. It becomes a déjà vu for me when I see that there are very few people doing research on the mpox virus.
The infectious disease doctor: Can scale up in Sweden
Maria Rotzén Östlund says that the most important measure to prevent the spread of infection is to act in the affected countries.
In Sweden, there is also the possibility of scaling up, but Maria Rotzén Östlund does not think it is necessary.
– That is where the crisis is. But when it comes to single cases or multiple cases, our healthcare has good capacity, she says.