Thailand has reported its first confirmed case of a new, potentially deadly strain of Mpox, marking the first instance of this variant outside of Africa. The country’s Department of Disease Control revealed that a 66-year-old European man arrived in Bangkok from an unidentified African nation on August 14. The following day, he exhibited symptoms and sought hospital treatment, where it was confirmed that he had contracted the Clade 1b strain of Mpox.
This particular outbreak of Mpox originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo last year and has resulted in at least 450 fatalities. It has since spread to neighboring countries such as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, which previously had no recorded cases.
Recently, the Clade 1b strain was also reported in Sweden, making it the first case confirmed outside Africa. The infected individual in Sweden had recently traveled to an African nation as well. The case in Thailand is the first verified instance of Clade 1b in Asia.
While Mpox is less contagious than viruses such as COVID-19 and measles, it can be transmitted through close personal contact, which includes intimate contact, skin-to-skin interaction, and speaking or breathing near someone else. Scientists are particularly concerned about the rapid spread of this new variant and its high mortality rate in certain regions of Africa, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare it a global public health emergency.
Vaccines are generally limited to those at high risk or who have been in close contact with an infected individual, but awareness and monitoring can help contain outbreaks. Despite the scarcity of vaccines in Africa, millions of doses are expected to arrive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo soon.
In Thailand, the Department of Disease Control has identified about 43 individuals who were seated near the infected man and those who interacted with him after his arrival. These individuals will be monitored for 21 days. Additionally, travelers arriving in Thailand from 42 “risk countries” will be required to undergo testing.
Mpox typically causes skin lesions and flu-like symptoms. Although it tends to be a mild illness for most, it can be deadly; approximately 4% of cases of this new strain in central Africa are estimated to be fatal, making it more dangerous than previously identified strains. The majority of Mpox cases are reported in the dense rainforests of West and Central Africa, where thousands of infections occur annually.
In 2022, a less severe strain known as Clade 2 triggered a global public health emergency, and that strain still persists in several nations.