Thailand has detected the new mutated strain of mpox virus, as the pathogen spreads to more geographies after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak in Africa a new global health emergency.
The patient who tested positive for clade Ib was a European male who arrived in Bangkok last week from Africa, according to the Department of Disease Control of Thailand’s health ministry. Authorities have identified 43 close contacts of the patient and put them under surveillance.
The patient with illnesses and symptoms associated with mpox was admitted to a hospital on Aug. 15, a day after his arrival in Bangkok. Laboratory tests on Thursday confirmed the variant as clade Ib and Thailand will report the result to the World Health Organization, the ministry said.
The newer strain — with a fatality rate of 3% — has been spreading across several African countries and is reported to have killed more than 500 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Children and adolescents are also getting sick, with known fatal cases exceeding 60% among patients under the age of 5.
Unlike a earlier milder strain that erupted in 2022 and spread primarily through men who have sex with men, the current variant that produces fluid-containing lesions is spreading through all kinds of sexual activity and other close physical contact.
Asian countries from China to Indian and Pakistan — many of which are densely populated — have beefed up surveillance lately. Travelers from affected countries were being asked to self-report symptoms and hospitals were on alert for suspected cases.