Mpox Clade 1b: What Is Known About This Lineage?
Prof. Dr. Yong Poovorawan, a clinical virologist at Chulalongkorn University, issued a public warning on his personal Facebook page about the new, more…
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Prof. Dr. Yong Poovorawan, a clinical virologist at Chulalongkorn University, alerted the public via his personal Facebook page on August 19, 2024, about the outbreak of a new, more severe strain of mpox (monkeypox).
Over the past two years, the mpox outbreak outside Africa, including in Thailand where more than 400 cases have been reported, has been driven by the Clade 2b strain, which is not very severe. Most cases have been found in adult men, particularly among men who have sex with men, with transmission usually occurring through close contact during sex.
This year, however, a major outbreak occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, caused by the original Clade 1 strain, which has changed into Clade 1b, a more severe strain than before. This outbreak has resulted in tens of thousands of cases and has spread to many countries across Africa. This strain can infect both children and adults, male and female alike, and most of the deaths have been among children.
In addition to spreading through close contact, this strain has also been found to spread through respiratory droplets, raising the risk of a large-scale outbreak worldwide. Dr. Yong therefore stressed the importance of close surveillance.
For Thailand, Dr. Yong recommended that every mpox case be monitored, with rapid diagnosis and strain identification, to prevent the spread of both the original and the new strains within the country. These measures are essential for controlling the outbreak and reducing the impact on public health.
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Source: tnnthailand
Vigilance and a rapid response to this new mpox strain will be key to preventing widespread transmission. In the meantime, the public should keep up with the news and strictly follow the guidance of public health authorities to reduce the risk of infection and further spread.
Verified references
Links and relevance to the article’s main topic were reviewed on 13 August 2026. Each source supports only the scope stated in the original document and does not replace personalised medical, legal, or service advice.
- WHO: Mpox fact sheet Accessed 13 August 2026
- CDC: About Mpox Accessed 13 August 2026
