NEW DELHI: Thailand reported a suspected first case of the new, more dangerous strain of Mpox, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global public health emergency.

The suspected patient landed in Bangkok on August 14 and was sent to hospital with Mpox symptoms the following morning, said Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of the kingdom's Department of Disease Control.
However the laboratory tests are underway to confirm the strain, but officials believe it to be from Clade 1.
66-year-old European, who travelled to Thailand from an African country, has been quarantined for now and is under observation.

"We have done a test and it is definitely mpox and not Clade 2," Thongchai told AFP.

"We are confident that the person has the Clade 1 variant, but we need to wait two more days for the final lab results to confirm," he said.
Health officials are monitoring 42 people who came into close contact with the patient, Thongchai told a news conference.

It may be mentioned here that Mpox cases and deaths are surging in Africa, where outbreaks have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda since July.

The disease, caused by a virus transmitted from infected animals and spread between humans through close physical contact, results in fever, muscle aches, and large boil-like skin lesions.

While mpox has been known for decades, a new more deadly and more transmissible strain -- known as Clade 1b -- has driven the recent surge in cases. 

Clade 1b causes death in about 3.6 percent of cases, with children more at risk, according to the WHO.
DR Congo has reported more than 16,000 cases and 500 deaths this year. On August 15 Sweden reported the first confirmed Clade 1 case outside Africa.