Thailand reports first suspected case of the new, threatening Mpox variant

Thai health authorities report the first suspected case of the new, more dangerous Mpox strain in the country. He is a European traveler who arrived in Thailand from Africa last week.

In a statement on its website Thursday, Thailand's Department of Disease Control reported that a 66-year-old man who arrived in the country on August 14 was hospitalized with symptoms the following day and has been under quarantine since then. They said his symptoms were not severe.

Tests showed that the man was not infected with the Clade 2 variant, the earlier strain of the virus. However, tests for the new, more dangerous Clade 1b variant produced inconclusive results.

At a press conference in Bangkok, disease control agency chief Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn told reporters that the results of further tests were expected by Friday.

“We are convinced that the person has the clade 1b variant,” Thongchai told the French news agency Agence France-Presse.

Last week, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the new Mpox variant an international health emergency after a sharp rise in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and outbreaks in other central African countries such as Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya.

In Thailand, the Department of Disease Control said it was monitoring 43 people who had close contact with the patient before his trip to Thailand. Thonchai said that although the people currently have no symptoms, they would be monitored for 21 days from August 14 – the day they came into contact with the patient.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral infection with symptoms that include a rash or lesions, fever, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes. Most patients recover completely, but some become very ill and die. Transmission most commonly occurs through close physical contact with a contagious person.

The new clade 1b variant is believed to be more transmissible. The WHO stated that there are two recommended vaccines to prevent Mpox and it has initiated the process for the approval of Mpox vaccines to the emergency use authorization list, which will speed up access to vaccines for low-income countries.

Some information for this report was provided by Reuters and Agence France-Presse.