Thailand has confirmed its first case of the Mpox Clade 1b variant, marking the second time this strain has been identified outside Africa and the first one in Asia. According to Reuters, the patient is a 66-year-old European man who arrived in Thailand last week from an unspecified African country where the disease was prevalent.
“The test results confirm that he is infected with the Clade 1b strain of monkeypox, which is the first case diagnosed in Thailand, but this man is likely infected from an endemic country,” said Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, Director-general of the Department of Disease Control.He added that no other local infections had been detected through contact tracing.
The Clade 1b variant has raised global concern due to its potential for rapid spread through close contact. Sweden reported a case of this variant last week, linking it to an ongoing outbreak in Africa, making it the first evidence of the strain’s spread outside the continent.
The World Health Organization has declared the recent outbreak a public health emergency of international concern after the identification of this new variant.
Thailand reported that the man had travelled through a Middle Eastern country before arriving in Thailand, but did not specify the location. Since 2022, Thailand has detected 800 cases of Mpox Clade 2 but has not previously identified Clade 1 or Clade 1b variants.
“The test results confirm that he is infected with the Clade 1b strain of monkeypox, which is the first case diagnosed in Thailand, but this man is likely infected from an endemic country,” said Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, Director-general of the Department of Disease Control.He added that no other local infections had been detected through contact tracing.
The Clade 1b variant has raised global concern due to its potential for rapid spread through close contact. Sweden reported a case of this variant last week, linking it to an ongoing outbreak in Africa, making it the first evidence of the strain’s spread outside the continent.
The World Health Organization has declared the recent outbreak a public health emergency of international concern after the identification of this new variant.
Thailand reported that the man had travelled through a Middle Eastern country before arriving in Thailand, but did not specify the location. Since 2022, Thailand has detected 800 cases of Mpox Clade 2 but has not previously identified Clade 1 or Clade 1b variants.
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