Thailand has reported its first case of the highly contagious Clade 1b strain of Mpox. The case marks the first detection in Asia, following Sweden’s recent identification of the strain outside Africa.
The affected individual is a 66-year-old European man who arrived in Thailand last week from Africa, where the virus was prevalent.
The World Health Organisation earlier this month declared Mpox a public health emergency of international concern, the highest alert level, as cases surged in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mpox is categorised into two main subtypes: the more severe Clade 1, found mainly in the Congo Basin, and Clade 2, present in West Africa.
Clade 1b, a newer variant of Clade 1 (now called Clade 1a), was first identified in northeastern DRC in September of the previous year and is spreading quickly.
