Thailand announced this Thursday A first case of the new variant of mpox (monkeypox)which is more contagious and deadly, this case was detected in a European patient who traveled to the Asian country from Africa.
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control said laboratory tests conducted on the patient, a 66-year-old European, They confirmed that he was infected by “Clade 1B”responsible for the current epidemic.
“The Thai Department of Disease Control wishes to confirm the result of a laboratory test which revealed the Presence of mpox “Clade 1B” in a European patient“, he said in a statement.
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It was also detailed that the infected person has been quarantined in a hospital in Thailand to prevent the spread of this new variant.
“We are controlling the 43 people who have been in close contact with the patient and, so far, they have not shown any symptoms, but we have to continue monitoring them for 21 days,” he added.
Given the increase in cases of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congowhich also affects Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, the WHO decided to declare an international public health emergency on August 14.
The “Clade 1” variant, responsible for the current epidemic in Africa, is fatal in 3.6% of cases and is especially dangerous for children, according to the OMSThe disease causes fever, muscle aches and skin lesions.
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The virus was discovered in 1958 in Denmark, in monkeys bred for research. In 1970, it was first detected in a human, in the current Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has recorded at least 16,000 cases, 548 of them fatal, Sweden was the first non-African country to have recorded a case of Clade subtype 1b, on August 15.
(With information from AFP)
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2024-08-28 11:27:30