Thailand reports possible first case of mpox clade 1b

Thailand may have recorded its first case of the new and more transmissible strain of mpox from a European male, according to the country’s Department of Disease Control on Wednesday.

The department’s director-general, Dr Thongchai Keeratihuttayakorn, said they have yet to confirm whether it is a mpox clade 1b case.

He said the 66-year-old patient had travelled from an African country where there is an outbreak of mpox and transited to a Middle East country before arriving in Thailand on Aug 14 at 6 pm.

"On the morning of Aug 15, the patient started to have a fever and found some bumps on his skin. He went to a hospital and test results showed it was mpox,” Thongchai said at a press conference on Wednesday.

He added that they are waiting for another test result to determine whether it is clade 1b and the result will be known in the next few days.

Thongchai said the department had tracked down 43 passengers sitting two rows away from the patient on the plane and the people he had met while on the way from the airport.

“These people will be monitored for 21 days. At present, none of them has displayed any symptoms.

"This may be Thailand’s first case of mpox clade 1b and we are monitoring the situation.”

Last week, the World Health Organization declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern.

- Bernama

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