A new variant of Mpox has been detected in Thailand. Read on to learn more about the symptoms and the rise in cases.
Thailand confirmed on Thursday that a case of mpox reported this week was of the clade 1b strain of the virus, the second confirmed case of the variant outside Africa. The case is a 66-year-old European man who had arrived in Thailand last week from an unspecified African country where the disease was spreading. Clade 1b causes death in about 3.6% of cases, with children most at risk, according to the WHO.
“The test results confirm that he is infected with the Clade 1b strain of monkeypox, which is the first case diagnosed in Thailand, but it is likely that this man is infected in an endemic country,” Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, told Reuters.
All about the new Mpox clade 1B variant
He said no other local infections had been detected through contact tracing. Clade 1b has sparked global concern because of the ease with which it spreads through regular close contact. The disease is caused by a virus carried by infected animals but is transmitted from person to person through close physical contact. It causes fever, muscle aches and large boil-like skin lesions.
While MPOX has been known for decades, a new, more lethal and transmissible strain, known as Clade 1b, has driven the recent surge in cases.
Last week, a case of the variant was confirmed in Sweden and linked to a growing outbreak in Africa, marking the first indication of its spread outside the continent. The World Health Organization declared the recent outbreak of the disease a public health emergency of international concern after the new variant was identified.
How does the Mpox virus spread?
According to infectious disease experts, as per an IANS report, respiratory droplets may play a role in spreading Mpox, but not as efficiently as COVID-19 or even the flu. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), prolonged face-to-face interactions (such as talking or breathing) can increase the risk of transmission. The WHO also maintains that respiratory droplets (and possibly short-range aerosols) can lead to Mpox transmission.
