Thailand has reported its first suspected case of a new, more dangerous strain of Mpox, which has been declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization.
Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of Thailand’s Department of Disease Control, announced the news at a press conference on August 21, 2024.
The patient, a 66-year-old European man, arrived in Bangkok on August 14 and was hospitalized the next morning with symptoms of Mpox.
Thongchai explained, “We have done a test and they definitely have Mpox and it’s definitely not Clade 2. We are convinced the person has the Clade 1 variant, but we have to wait to see the final result in the lab for two more days.”
The patient, who traveled to Thailand from an African country, is currently in quarantine. Health officials are also monitoring 42 people who came into close contact with him.
Mpox cases are rising sharply in Africa, with outbreaks reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda since July. The disease, transmitted through close physical contact with infected people or animals, causes symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, and large skin lesions.
The new strain, known as Clade 1b, is more deadly and transmissible. According to the WHO, Clade 1b results in death in about 3.6% of cases, with children at higher risk.
The WHO previously named the virus Monkeypox when it was discovered in 1958 in Denmark. DR Congo has reported over 16,000 cases and 500 deaths this year alone.
Sweden confirmed its first Clade 1 case outside Africa on August 15.
