Thailand reports first case of mpox clade 1b, imported from Africa

Malay Mail

BANGKOK, Aug 21 — Thailand has confirmed its first case of mpox clade 1b, the Disease Control Department (DCD) announced on Wednesday.

According to a statement released by the DCD, the patient tested positive for the mpox clade 1b virus after arriving from Africa.

The department said more information on the case would be provided by its director-general, Dr. Thongchai Kiratihattayakorn, later in the day.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the mpox clade 1b outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

This marks the second time in two years that a PHEIC has been declared in relation to mpox.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is caused by an Orthopoxvirus and was first identified in humans in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970. The disease is endemic to countries in Central and West Africa, but a global outbreak in 2022 saw the virus spread rapidly across nations where it had not previously been detected, leading to another PHEIC declaration.

That outbreak was declared over in May 2023 following a significant decline in cases worldwide.

Thailand has recorded 827 mpox cases, all of which were of the clade 2 variety, between January 2022 and August 11, 2024. This newly detected case is the first of the clade 1 type in the country.

Mpox is primarily transmitted through sexual contact or close skin-to-skin interaction. Patients often exhibit flu-like symptoms and develop skin lesions. While the disease can be fatal, with a mortality rate of approximately four per cent, the majority of cases are non-lethal.