Mpox Outbreak: Thailand Reports 1st Case Of Monkeypox; Africa To Begin Vaccinations Soon

Thailand has joined the list of countries which have reported a case of the monkeypox virus. On Wednesday, Thailand reported its first case in a tourist who had travelled from Africa.

As per the latest update from the health department, the case was detected in a European man who arrived from Africa last week. The health department has reported the case and is now waiting for the results to determine the Mpox strain.

As per Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, director-general of the department of disease control in Thailand, authorities were treating the case as if it were the Clade 1 form of Mpox

He further told Reuters that the person had arrived on August 14 from an African country where it was spreading. The director-general did not name the country.

Monkeypox Detected In Various Countries

After the World Health Organisation declared the monkeypox outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern, which is the highest alert category for the UN health body.

Mpox has been declared a global health emergency for the second time in two years. For 2024, the health alert has been raised due to the spread of the variant Clade 1b.

As of now, Mpox cases have been reported in Pakistan, Sweden, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. However, as per the African CDC, at least 13 countries in the continent have reported cases of Mpox.

Mpox Not The New COVID: WHO Officials

Amid the MPox outbreak, fears of the virus spreading like COVID-19 sparked tensions across the world. However, officials from the World Health Organisation have dismissed the fears and stated that the Mpox outbreak is not as novel as the coronavirus outbreak.

WHO's European director Hans Kluge has stated that while more research is needed on the new variant, the spread of Mpox can be controlled, hence "it is not the new COVID"

Africa To Begin Vaccination Soon

Democratic Republic Of Congo and other African countries affected by the Mpox outbreak are expected to begin their vaccination drives this week. As per the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Congo and other countries will receive their first doses within this week and will begin the prevention drive.

"We haven't started vaccinations yet, but we plan to begin in a few days, provided that everything is in place. By the end of next week, vaccines are expected to arrive in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other affected countries," Africa CDC director general Jean Kaseya told news agency Reuters.

After WHO's alert, the vaccines against Mpox have been sent by international partners such as the European Union, vaccine manufacturer Bavarian Nordic, the United States, and Japan.