Thailand reported its first suspected case of the new, more dangerous strain of mpox on Wednesday, which the World Health Organization has identified as a global public health emergency.
The patient, a European who recently traveled to Thailand from an African country, was confirmed to have mpox, according to Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of Thailand’s Department of Disease Control, in a statement to AFP.
Laboratory tests are currently being conducted to confirm the specific strain, with officials suspecting it to be from Clade 1. The patient has been quarantined in a hospital.
“We’ve confirmed that the patient has mpox, and it’s definitely not Clade 2,” Thongchai told AFP. “We strongly believe it is the Clade 1 variant, but we need to wait for the final lab results, which will take two more days.”
Mpox cases and fatalities have surged across Africa, with outbreaks reported since July in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.
The disease, caused by a virus transmitted from infected animals and spread through close physical contact among humans, leads to symptoms like fever, muscle aches, and large, boil-like skin lesions.
While mpox has been known for decades, a newly identified, more lethal, and more transmissible strain known as Clade 1b has been driving the recent spike in cases. Clade 1b has a mortality rate of about 3.6 percent, with children being particularly vulnerable, according to WHO data.
Previously known as monkeypox, the virus was first discovered in 1958 in monkeys used for research in Denmark.
This year, the Democratic Republic of Congo has reported over 16,000 cases and 500 deaths from mpox.
