Thailand Confirms First Asian Case of New Mpox Strain

Thailand has reported its first confirmed case of a new, potentially deadlier strain of Mpox, marking the first case in Asia and the second outside of Africa. The infected individual, a 66-year-old European man, arrived in Bangkok from an unspecified African country on August 14th. 

He began showing symptoms the following day and sought medical attention immediately. The strain has been identified as Clade 1b, the same strain linked to an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where over 450 deaths have been reported since last year.

Thailand has reported its first case of the Clade 1b strain of Mpox, the first occurrence in Asia and only the second outside of Africa. This new, more dangerous strain has been spreading in East Africa, affecting countries like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, which had previously been free of Mpox.

 The first case of Clade 1b outside of Africa was confirmed in Sweden just a week ago. Mpox is less contagious than other viruses like COVID-19 but can be deadly, especially with the Clade 1b variant, which has prompted the WHO to declare it a public health emergency.

 Thailand is closely monitoring potential contacts of the infected individual and is imposing testing on travelers from high-risk areas to prevent further spread.