Listen to Story Thailand confirmed the first case of the new mpox strain, which means that the Clade 1b strain has entered Asia. Bangladesh and Pakistan have report mpox cases as well, but those are of the Clade 2 strain, the less severe variant of mpox. Mpox, now a global health emergency disease declared by the World Health Organisation (WHO), has two main strains circulating worldwide.
There are two strains of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox): clade 1b and clade 2 . The risk of severe disease and death depends on the strain of the virus as well as pre-existing health conditions and secondary infections. "While strain clade 2 is milder and was responsible for the 2022 outbreak , the worry in 2024 is that the slightly more severe strain called clade 1, which is usually restricted to a few African countries has been causing cases in Sweden, Philippines and Pakistan," Dr Vikram Vora, Medical Director of International SOS, told IndiaToday.
in. Mpox clade 1b strain causes skin rash like pus-filled blisters on the body. (Photo: Getty Images) According to Dr Koulsoum Houssein, Consultant Physician in Medicine, Holy Family Hospital, clade 2 is "less severe and self-limiting," causing severe infections and death mainly in immunocompromised and advanced HIV persons.
"In contrast, the current strain which is attributed to clade 1, affects in majority (more than 50%) children younger than 5 years and causes a higher mortality," Dr Houssein said. There are also currently clusters of tr.