New Delhi, Aug 21: After Sweden, Thailand has reported its first suspected case of a new Mpox strain – Clade 1b, the country’s health department said on Wednesday.
Both Thailand and Sweden are the first countries to see Mpox cases of the Clade 1b variant outside Africa after the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently declared a global health emergency.
Thai health officials found that the patient had a travel history to Congo.
“The Department of Disease Control has received a patient suspected of Clade 1 smallpox. The first person in Thailand came from Congo,” Dr. Thongchai Keerati Hatthayakorn, director general of the Department of Disease Control, said in a statement.
The strain has not yet been confirmed by laboratory tests, but officials believe it is from Clade 1. The infected person has been quarantined in a hospital.
Africa is currently witnessing an outbreak of Mpox in 14 African countries, with 14,000 cases and 524 deaths reported. The outbreak is caused by the more virulent clade 1b strain.
Clade 1b causes death in about 3.6 per cent of cases, with children at greater risk, the WHO said.
Pakistan also reported a dozen cases of Mpox, 4 of which were laboratory-confirmed and found to be from clade IIb – which is responsible for the 2022 outbreak in 116 countries.
The Philippines has also reported a new case of Mpox. However, health officials said “it was the original variety” or clade IIb.
Mpox is a viral infection that mainly affects humans and animals. It usually begins with flu-like symptoms – fever, headache, muscle aches and fatigue and results in pus-filled sores. It can last from 2 to 4 weeks.
It can be spread through contact with an infected person, animal, or contaminated material.
Mpox can be prevented by avoiding sexual contact with strangers, avoiding close contact with people with rashes, vesicles, or pustules, washing hands frequently, and not sharing personal items with others.
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