EU public health body lifts mpox risk alert level after new strain found in Sweden

Mpox, a viral infection that causes pus-filled lesions and flu-like symptoms, is usually mild but can kill. Two strains are now spreading in Congo – the endemic form of the virus, clade I, and a new offshoot called clade Ib.

The ECDC on Friday raised its risk level assessment for mpox to “moderate” from “low” for sporadic cases appearing in the bloc, and asked countries to maintain high levels of awareness among travellers visiting from affected areas.

“Due to the close links between Europe and Africa, we must be prepared for more imported clade I cases,” its director Pamela Rendi Wagner said.

Pakistan also confirmed on Friday a case of the mpox virus in a patient who had returned from a Gulf country, though it was not clear whether it was of the new variant or of the clade that has been spreading globally since 2022.

WHO official Margaret Harris said on a media call on Friday that she expects more cases outside Africa to emerge soon, also as a result of heightened monitoring.

However, the WHO has advised against any travel restrictions to stop the spread of the virus.

China said on Friday it plans to monitor people and goods entering the country for mpox for the next six months.