Sweden has reported a case of a more severe strain of mpox, claiming it is the first clade I variant to be detected outside of an ongoing outbreak in African countries, reports Euronews.

It was diagnosed in a person who sought care in Stockholm after being infected in an area of Africa where this strain of the virus is spreading, according to the country's public health agency.

The Swedish public health agency added, however, that the patient being treated in the country for the virus "does not affect the risk to the general population".

The announcement came a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the outbreak of mpox in several African countries constituted a global health emergency.

WHO warns about the possibility of the new cases of this virus in Europe in the coming days.

According to the WHO, more than 14,000 cases of mpox have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the beginning of the year, and 524 patients have died. Outbreaks of this disease have been reported also in the Central African Republic, Kenya, Rwanda, and some other countries.