Experts have warned Thais to be on their guard regarding the new mpox strain in case the current outbreak mushrooms into a full-blown global pandemic.
Dr Yong Poovorawan, a clinical virologist at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, said in a Facebook post on Monday that the Clade 1b subvariant, which can be transmitted via respiratory droplets, poses a particular risk.
He said that Clade 1b, which has been spreading in DR Congo, was more aggressive than the Clade 2 strain previously found in Thailand.
According to him, Clade 1b was detected in both children and adults, men and women, in the central African country, with most fatalities reported among children.
He said Clade 1 is transmitted via close physical contact and respiratory droplets, making it easier to spread than Clade 2, which transmits through close physical contact.
He explained that both Clade 1 and Clade 2 and their subclades can infect children and adults, regardless of gender.
However, Dr Yong said that 98% of Clade 2b cases were found in men, especially among homosexuals.
Meanwhile, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) issued a statement on Monday on the disease situation following the 100th reported Clade 2b case in Thailand.
DDC said that the department had ordered hospitals and related sectors to use strict surveillance measures when working in areas that could be prone to pox outbreaks.
It also ordered all international airport disease control checkpoints and international ports, especially at Don Muang Airport, Suvarnabhumi Airport, and Laem Chabang Port, to screen passengers arriving from Africa.
According to the statement, the Department of Medical Sciences will also ensure laboratory and medical supplies are sufficient in case of an outbreak.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared a “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC) after many mpox cases were found in several African countries, such as DR Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.
According to DDC, 14,520 patients worldwide were diagnosed with the Class 1b subvariant mpox, with 456 dead, from 2022–2024.
