Thailand has reported an mpox case in a European man who arrived from Africa last week. Officials are now awaiting test results to determine the strain of the virus.
Thailand’s disease control officials are treating a new mpox case as Clade 1 after a 66-year-old European resident arrived from Africa on August 14.
The patient, who has been in Thailand for some time, is being monitored for this specific strain of the virus, which is known to be circulating in the region he traveled from, according to Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, the director-general of the Department of Disease Control.
Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn stated that the 66-year-old European man, who arrived from Africa, had “very little time frame where he came into contact with others” after his flight.
He arrived around 6 p.m. and saw a doctor the next day, August 15. Thongchai mentioned that the man is being tested to determine if the case is the Clade 1 variant, with results expected by Friday.
Authorities are also monitoring 43 people who may have been in contact with the patient.
The specific African and Middle Eastern countries the man visited before arriving in Thailand were not disclosed by the director-general. Since 2022, Thailand has recorded 800 cases of mpox Clade 2 but has yet to encounter Clade 1 or Clade 1b variants.
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