1st case of new mpox virus strain in Asia recorded in Thailand

Thailand has recorded Asia’s first case of clade 1b, a new strain of the mpox virus formerly known as monkeypox.

Thongchai Kiratihattayakorn, the head of Thailand’s Department of Disease Control, told reporters on Wednesday that the patient is a 66-year-old European man who traveled from Africa and arrived in Thailand on Aug. 14. “What we can confirm now is that the patient tested positive for mpox. We need to wait until Friday to see whether it is 100% mpox type 1b,” he said.

Thai health authorities have also identified and placed 43 close contacts of the patient under surveillance. Thongchai noted that none of the 43 close contacts showed any signs of illness. Symptoms of mpox include a painful body rash, fever, headache, enlarged lymph nodes and muscle aches.