Aug 16 (Reuters) - The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on Friday raised its risk level for mpox, a day after global health officials
confirmed the first infection with a new strain of the virus outside Africa, in Sweden.
The EU public health body's head
said there will be more imported cases of the new mpox strain in Europe in the coming weeks, though the risk of sustained transmission remains low.
The World Health Organization on Wednesday
declared mpox a global public health emergency, its highest form of alert, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that
had spread to neighbouring countries.
The global health body is due to host an
emergency meeting on Friday to discuss ways to ensure fair global access to tests, treatments and vaccines for the virus, a leading official said.
