Thailand has confirmed the first known case in Asia of a new and deadlier strain of mpox (monkeypox) in a patient who traveled from Africa.
The patient, a 66-year-old European man, arrived in Bangkok on August 14 and was hospitalized with symptoms consistent with mpox. Laboratory tests confirmed that the patient was infected with the mpox Clade 1b strain.
The Thai Department of Disease Control, in a statement, noted that the World Health Organization (WHO) would be informed of this development. The department has identified and is monitoring 43 individuals who had close contact with the patient; none have shown symptoms so far, though they will continue to be monitored for 21 days.
Travelers arriving in Thailand from 42 designated high-risk countries are now required to register and undergo testing upon entry. The surge in mpox cases, particularly involving the Clade 1b variant, has been most severe in Africa, with outbreaks reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda since July.
The WHO has declared a global public health emergency regarding this new variant and has called on vaccine manufacturers to increase production. Mpox, typically transmitted through close physical contact, leads to symptoms like fever, muscle aches, and boil-like skin lesions. The Clade 1b variant has a higher mortality rate, causing death in approximately 3.6% of cases, with children particularly vulnerable.
Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of the Thai Department of Disease Control, emphasized that while mpox requires close contact to spread, making it less likely to spread rapidly like Covid-19, vigilance is still essential.
