Thai health officials reported the country's first suspected case of a new, more dangerous strain of mpox in 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 a 66-year-old man who arrived in Thailand on Aug. 14. They said he was hospitalized with symptoms the next day and has been in quarantine since. They said his symptoms were not severe.
Tests showed the man did not have the Clade 2 variant, an earlier strain of the virus, but testing for the new, more dangerous Clade 1b strain was inconclusive.
At a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand's Department of Disease Control chief Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn told reporters they expected additional test results to be available on Friday (Aug. 23).
“We believe the person has the Clade 1b variant,” Thongchai told French news agency AFP.
Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of the new mpox variant a public health emergency of international concern after a surge in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and outbreaks in other central African countries, including 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 he traveled to Thailand. Thonchai said although the people are currently asymptomatic, they will be monitored for 21 days starting from August 14, the day they came into contact with the patient.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral infection with symptoms including a rash or lesions, fever, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes. Most patients recover completely, but some become seriously ill and die. The disease is most often transmitted through close physical contact with someone who has the virus.
The new Clade 1b variant is believed to be more transmissible. WHO said there are two vaccines recommended for use to prevent mpox. (ab/lt)
