BANGKOK, Aug 21 (V7N)- Thailand has reported what is believed to be its first case of the new, more dangerous strain of mpox, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has labeled a global public health emergency. The patient, a European national who traveled to Thailand from an African country, has been quarantined in a hospital, according to Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of Thailand's Department of Disease Control.

While laboratory tests are still underway to confirm the exact strain, officials suspect it to be from Clade 1, the more severe variant of the virus. "We are convinced the person has the Clade 1 variant, but we have to wait to see the final result in the lab for two more days," Thongchai told AFP.

Mpox cases, particularly from the Clade 1b variant, have surged across Africa, with outbreaks reported in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. This variant is more deadly and transmissible, causing death in approximately 3.6 percent of cases, with children being particularly vulnerable.

Originally known as monkeypox, the virus was first discovered in 1958 in Denmark in research monkeys. The Democratic Republic of Congo has been particularly hard-hit this year, reporting over 16,000 cases and 500 deaths. Notably, on August 15, Sweden confirmed the first Clade 1 case outside of Africa.