Thailand confirms Asia’s first case of new mpox virus strain

Thailand became the first country in Asia to detect 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 66-year-old patient and put them under surveillance. The patient with illnesses and symptoms associated with mpox was admitted to a hospital on August 15, a day after his arrival in Bangkok. Laboratory tests on Thursday (local time) confirmed the variant as clade Ib and Thailand will report the result to the World Health Organization, the ministry said in a statement. Tourism-reliant Thailand said it will tighten surveillance and screening measures at all its international entry points including Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport. Travellers from 42 countries with mpox outbreaks will have to register themselves on the health ministry’s online application before leaving for Thailand and undergo health screening upon arrival according to global protocols, 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.<br/>