Côte d'Ivoire has reported cases of mpox Clade 2 for the first time since the start of the multi-country outbreak in 2022, while Thailand has confirmed Asia's first known case of a new, deadlier strain of mpox in a patient who had travelled to the country from Africa.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that cases of mpox Clade 2 have been reported in Côte d'Ivoire.
According to national health officials, at least 28 cases of mpox and one death have been recorded in the West African country.
"The National Public Hygiene Institute [INHP] recorded 28 confirmed cases, including one death across the country as of Tuesday," said INHP doctor Daouda Coulibaly.
He added that monitoring for mpox had been strengthened.
"We have to break the chains of transmission, identify the contacts of cases, isolate them and monitor them."
Cases rise in Central Africa
The number of mpox cases continues to increase in Central Africa, notably in the Central African Republic (CAR), Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi.
According to RFI's correspondent in CAR, Rolf Steve Domia-Leu, nearly 100 suspected cases of monkeypox have been detected throughout the country over the past four weeks.
The main areas affected by the disease so far are Mbomou in the east, Kemo in the centre, Lobaye in the south-east and the capital, Bangui.
The disease is nonetheless under control, according to Valentin Nebanga, head of the health promotion department at the Ministry of Public Health.
"We have recorded 92 suspected cases, not only in Bangui, but in some provincial towns as well," he said.
"Of the 92 suspected cases, samples were taken and nine cases came back positive," he added.
"The positive patients were all hospitalised in dedicated treatment centres at the Bangui General Hospital, and the good news is that the nine patients have all been declared cured and have already been discharged from the hospital."
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New strain reaches Asia
Meanwhile Thailand on Thursday confirmed Asia's first known case of a new, deadlier strain of mpox, Clade 1b, in a patient who had travelled to the kingdom from Africa.
The patient landed in Bangkok on 14 August and was sent to hospital with mpox symptoms.
The Department of Disease Control said laboratory tests on the 66-year-old European confirmed he was infected with mpox Clade 1b.
"We have monitored 43 people who have been in close contact with the patient and so far they have shown no symptoms, but we must continue monitoring for a total of 21 days," the department said in a statement, adding that the WHO would be informed of the development.
Anyone travelling to Thailand from 42 "risk countries" must register and undergo testing on arrival, the department said.
Dangerous variant
The WHO declared a global public health emergency over the new variant of mpox in mid-August, urging pharmaceutical companies and governments to work on increasing the current production of vaccines.
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Mpox cases and deaths are surging in Africa, where outbreaks have been reported in the DRC, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and other countries since July.
More than 18,700 mpox cases detected in Africa since January
Cases were also reported in Sweden and Pakistan last week.
The disease is caused by a virus transmitted by infected animals and passed from human to human through close physical contact. It causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions.
Mpox has been known for decades, but the new strain known as Clade 1b is deadlier and more transmissible. It has driven the recent surge in cases.
Clade 1b causes death in about 3.6 percent of cases, with children more at risk, according to the WHO.
(with newswires)
