Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Sheikh Qassem: Our supporters make up more than half of Lebanon's population, and all of these people are united under the banner of protecting Lebanon, its Resistance, its people, and its integrity.
Sheikh Qassem: There will be no phased handing in of our arms. [The Israelis] must first enact the agreement before we start talking about a defensive strategy.
Sheikh Qassem: Be brave in the face of foreign pressures, and we will be by your side in this stance.
Sheikh Qassem: Stripping us of our arms is like stripping us of our very soul, and this will prompt us to show them our might.
Sheikh Qassem: We will not abandon our arms, for they gave us dignity; we will not abandon our arms, for they protect us against our enemy.
Sheikh Qassem: The US efforts we are seeing are aimed at sabotaging Lebanon and constitute a call for sedition.
Sheikh Qassem: If you truly want to establish sovereignty and work for Lebanon’s interests, then stop the aggression.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States, which is meddling in Lebanon, is not trustworthy but rather poses a danger to it.
Sheikh Qassem: The United States is preventing the weapons that protect the homeland.
Sheikh Qassem: The government’s latest decision [on the disarmament of the Resistance] is non-charter-based, and if the government continues down this path, it is not faithful to Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Thailand confirms Asia's first case of new deadly Mpox variant

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 23 Aug 2024 09:13
3 Min Read

The Thai Department of Disease Control highlighted that Mpox spreads much less rapidly than COVID-19 since close contact is needed for transmission.

Listen
  • x
  • Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of Thailand's Department of Disease Control, speaks following the suspected first case of mpox in Bangkok.
    Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of Thailand's Department of Disease Control, speaks following the suspected first case of Mpox in Bangkok. (AFP)

Thailand has confirmed its first Mpox case in a patient who traveled from Africa, marking Asia's first known detection of the new deadly Clade 1b variant.

“Thailand’s Department of Disease Control wishes to confirm the lab test result which shows Mpox Clade 1b in a European patient,” the department said in a statement, adding that the World Health Organization (WHO) would be informed on the issue.

The 66-year-old patient arrived in Bangkok on August 14 and was sent to the hospital with monkeypox symptoms. 

“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 stated, asserting that anyone traveling to Thailand from the 42 "risk countries" is required to register and take a test upon arrival. 

The head of the department, Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, highlighted that Mpox spreads much less rapidly than COVID-19 since close contact is needed for transmission.

A surge in global Mpox cases

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of the new Clabe 1b Mpox variant as a global public health emergency, the "highest level of alarm" under international health law. 

Related News

Gaza crisis worsens amid surge in deadly antibiotic-resistant diseases

US leaves power vacuum in UN, China jumps in to fill it

As cases are surging in Africa, the disease has also spread to the international level with the first case outside Africa detected in Sweden earlier this month. 

The WHO has, in collaboration with NGOs, called for an increase in vaccine production.

Humans can catch Mpox by coming into close contact with an animal or person who has the disease, as well as by coming into contact with contaminated objects. According to the WHO, patients frequently experience symptoms, such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, back pain, and muscle aches before a skin rash appears.

The Clade 1b variant causes skin eruptions all over the body while previous strains produced localized lesions around the mouth, face, or genital areas.

The term "monkeypox" was changed to "Mpox" by the WHO last year because it was "racist and stigmatizing language." For a year, both names will be used interchangeably as the term "monkeypox" is phased out, it was added.

WHO official: Mpox is not the new COVID

A World Health Organization (WHO) official emphasized on Tuesday that Mpox, whether it's the new or old strain, is not comparable to COVID-19, as authorities have effective measures in place to control its spread.

"We can and must tackle Mpox together," said Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, in a media briefing. 

"So will we choose to put the systems in place to control and eliminate Mpox globally? Or we will enter another cycle of panic and neglect? How we respond now and in the years to come will prove a critical test for Europe and the world," he added. 

Kluge emphasized that the attention on the new clade 1 strain offers Europe an opportunity to refocus on the less severe Clade 2 variety, improving public health guidance and strengthening surveillance efforts.

Kluge noted that around 100 new cases of the clade 2 mpox strain are now being reported monthly in the European region.

  • mpox
  • Monkeypox
  • thailand
  • WHO
  • World Health Organization
  • CDC

Most Read

Tom Artiom Alexandrovich, executive director of the defense division of the Israeli National Cyber Directorate, undated (Social media)

Israeli-born US prosecutor drops Israeli officer child sex crime

  • Politics
  • 19 Aug 2025
Almost instantly after the Helsinki Accords were signed, organisations sprouted to document purported violations, whose findings were fed to overseas embassies for international amplification. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

How ‘Human Rights’ became a Western weapon

  • Opinion
  • 23 Aug 2025
Israeli soldiers stand on the top of armoured vehicles parked on an area near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 (AP)

Palestinian fighters target Israeli soldiers, vehicles in Gaza

  • Politics
  • 21 Aug 2025
Launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen toward the occupied Palestinian territories. (YAF military media)

Yemeni Forces announce firing hypersonic missile at Al-Lydd Airport

  • Politics
  • 22 Aug 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference at the Prime minister's office in al-Quds, Occupied Palestine, Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Netanyahu deliberately derailing truce with Gaza occupation: Hamas

Irish President Michael Higgins arrives to deliver his speech during a 42nd World Food Day celebration at FAO headquarters in Rome, on Oct. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Politics

Irish president renews call for UN military intervention in Gaza

US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at the US Embassy in Aukar, northern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, July 21, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US envoy, Netanyahu discuss restraining attacks on Lebanon, withdrawal

Smoke billows following Israeli airstrikes in multiple areas in Sanaa, Yemen, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ansar Allah vow sustained Gaza support despite Israeli strikes

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS