Thai authorities have confirmed the first Mpox case in Asia caused by the virus variant currently circulating in Africa. Lab tests confirmed that a European patient had contracted the Clade Ib variant, the Thai Disease Control Department reported. The 66-year-old European had arrived in Bangkok from Africa on August 14 and was admitted to a hospital with Mpox symptoms.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is being kept informed of further developments, according to the authorities in Bangkok. The infected patient is in quarantine, and 43 individuals who had close contact with him are being monitored. “So far, they have shown no symptoms, but we need to monitor them for a total of 21 days.” Thai authorities also stated that travelers from 42 “high-risk countries” must register and undergo testing upon entry.
Infections mainly in Central Africa so far
Mpox cases and deaths are rising in Africa. Since July, outbreaks have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. The WHO declared the current Clade Ib variant a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and urged vaccine manufacturers to increase production.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, more than 500 people have died from Mpox this year, many of them malnourished children. Last week, Sweden became the first non-African country to report an Mpox infection caused by the Ib variant.
