Thailand Reports Mpox Case in Traveler Who Arrived From Africa

Thailand reported on Wednesday a case of mpox suspected to be caused by the new and potentially more deadly version of the virus. If confirmed, it would be the first such case in Thailand and would come a week after the World Health Organization declared the disease a global health emergency.

The case involves a 66-year-old European man who works in an African country with an ongoing outbreak, health officials said at a news conference, without specifying which country. The man, who has a home in Thailand, was not reported to have severe symptoms.

Officials said they were awaiting test results — likely due Friday — to determine if the man has been infected with Clade Ib, the version of the mpox virus that has been driving a rise in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to health officials, the man flew from Africa to Thailand, transiting in a Middle Eastern country, before arriving on the evening of Aug. 14. The next morning, he started to develop a fever and found small bumps on his skin.

Tests at a hospital showed that he had mpox.

Thailand’s Department of Disease Control tracked down 43 people who had been near or in contact with the patient, including those seated near him on the plane, health officials said. Those people will be monitored for 21 days. Currently, none of them has shown any symptoms.

Since 2022, Thailand has had more than 800 reported cases of mpox, previously known as monkeypox.

Mpox spreads primarily through contact with infected animals or people, or through the consumption of contaminated meat. It can also be spread through sexual contact or transmitted in utero to a fetus.

Thongchai Keeratihuttayakorn, general director of the of disease control department, told reporters that mpox