Thailand has confirmed Asia’s first known case of a new, more dangerous strain of mpox, in a patient who recently traveled to an African country. The patient, a 66-year-old European, arrived in Bangkok on August 14 and was hospitalized after showing symptoms consistent with mpox.
The Department of Disease Control announced on Thursday, August 22, that laboratory tests confirmed the patient was infected with the mpox Clade 1b strain, a variant that is both more transmissible and deadlier than previous strains.
“Thailand’s Department of Disease Control wishes to confirm the lab test result which shows mpox Clade 1b in a European patient,” the department stated, adding that the World Health Organization (WHO) would be informed of the development.
The department has identified and is monitoring 43 individuals who had close contact with the patient. Although none of these contacts have shown symptoms so far, they will continue to be observed for a total of 21 days as a precaution.
In response to the confirmed case, the Thai government has implemented stricter health measures. Travelers arriving from 42 “risk countries” are now required to register and undergo testing upon arrival in Thailand.
Mpox, a viral disease traditionally transmitted by infected animals but also spread through close human-to-human contact, has seen a surge in cases and fatalities in Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda since July. The World Health Organization has declared the new Clade 1b variant a global public health emergency, urging vaccine manufacturers to accelerate production to combat the outbreak.
Clade 1b has been reported to cause death in approximately 3.6% of cases, with children being particularly vulnerable, according to WHO data. Despite the severity of the strain, Thai health officials, including Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of the Department of Disease Control, emphasized that mpox is less likely to spread rapidly compared to Covid-19, due to the requirement for close physical contact for transmission.
The confirmation of this case in Thailand marks a significant development in the ongoing global mpox outbreak, raising concerns about the potential spread of the deadlier Clade 1b strain in Asia.
