Health
Reports Of A Possible New Mpox Strain In Thailand
The World Health Organization has declared a worldwide public health emergency in response to the probable first case of the new, more severe strain of mpox, which was reported in Thailand on Wednesday.
The patient arrived in Bangkok on August 14 and, according to Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, chief of the Department of Disease Control in the kingdom, was admitted to the hospital the next morning with symptoms of mpox.
Although laboratory testing is still in progress to confirm the strain, officials think it is from Clade 1.
The 66-year-old European who contracted the infection while traveling from an African nation to Thailand has been placed under quarantine.
“They definitely have mpox and it’s definitely not Clade 2,” Thongchai told AFP after conducting a test.
“We have to wait two more days to see the final result in the lab, but we are confident the person has the Clade 1 variant.”
Thongchai stated at a press conference that 42 persons who had intimate touch with the patient are being watched by health officials.
In Africa, where outbreaks have been documented in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda since July, the number of mpox cases and fatalities is rising.
The illness, which is brought on by a virus that is spread by sick animals but is contracted by intimate physical contact, is characterized by fever, aches in the muscles, and huge skin sores that resemble boils.
Although mpox has been known for decades, the recent increase in cases has been caused by a new, more transmissible, and fatal strain called Clade 1b.
The WHO reports that Clade 1b is responsible for approximately 3.6 percent of deaths, with youngsters being especially vulnerable.
The virus, formerly known as monkeypox, was first identified in 1958 in Denmark in monkeys housed for scientific purposes.
This year, DR Congo has reported 500 deaths and over 16,000 cases.
Sweden announced the first confirmed Clade 1 case outside of Africa on August 15.
