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HEALTH

Sweden registers second confirmed case of monkeypox

A second case of of monkey pox has been confirmed in Sweden, the Swedish Public Health Agency said on Wednesday.

This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention shows a monkeypox virion, obtained from a sample associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak.
This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention shows a monkeypox virion, obtained from a sample associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. Photo: Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner/CDC via AP

The person who has been confirmed as infected, is from Västra Götaland and is said to be well and is not being cared for in hospital.

The first case of monkey pox in Sweden was confirmed on Thursday last week.

“The current outbreak shows what appears to be a new route of transmission, which means that we are now building new knowledge. The recommendations will therefore be updated in connection with more information being added,” Sara Byfors, Head of Department at the Swedish Public Health Agency said.

The rare disease usually manifests itself through fever, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and a rash on the hands and face.

Monkeypox typically has an incubation period of six to 16 days, but it can be as long as 21 days. Once lesions have scabbed over and fallen off, the person with the virus is no longer infectious.

Unlike Covid-19, you can only infect others when you yourself have symptoms. Infection can occur via the respiratory tract or close contact with body fluids.

Several dozen suspected or confirmed cases of monkeypox have been detected since the beginning of May in Europe and North America.

Denmark has ordered thousands of vaccines against monkeypox, with the first 200 arriving from the Netherlands on Friday. The move comes following the first case of the virus in Denmark was reported on Monday and a second case early on Tuesday.

The vaccinations will be given to people who have been in close contact with those infected with the virus, although the Danish Health Ministry said risk to the general population remains very low. 

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HEALTH

Sweden to roll out English-language blood donation in more regions

English speakers who don’t speak Swedish can currently only donate blood in Stockholm, but The Local has been told of plans to roll out the service to Gothenburg and Uppsala in the year ahead.

Sweden to roll out English-language blood donation in more regions

“The decision has been made and a process to introduce it is under way,” GeBlod press spokesperson Ulrika Ljung told The Local when we contacted the blood donor organisation on Friday.

We were not told of concrete plans to introduce English-language blood donation in any other regions at this stage.

The reason it’s only possible to donate blood in Swedish in most regions is because the donor must fully understand the health declaration they must sign, which ensures the blood is safe.

Five years ago, Stockholm became the first region in Sweden to translate the relevant material and train staff in medical English. But as healthcare is run at a regional level, it is up to individual regions to decide whether to make this possible in their regions.

FACT CHECK:

Sweden needs more blood to be able to cope with crisis situations, GeBlod warned in a statement on June 14th as part of the World Blood Donor Day campaign. Yet the number of people who signed up as blood donors in 2023 fell by 14 percent compared to the year before.

Although Sweden is self-sufficient in blood, it said the number of blood donors needs to double to strengthen preparedness for a potential attack or crisis.

Sixty percent of donated blood in 2023 was donated by people over the age of 45.

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