By: Natasha Archary

Thailand has confirmed a new outbreak of the Mpox disease, previously known as monkeypox.
This has led the World Health Organisation (WHO) to declare the new outbreak a public emergency.
According to publication The Nation, the first case of Mpox clade 1b was confirmed in Thailand on Wednesday, 21 August.
A patient said to be travelling from Africa, tested positive for the new outbreak at 10:21am.
In a statement by the Disease Control Department (DCD), more details of the case would be made public on Wednesday afternoon.
To date, there have been 827 Mpox cases in Thailand between January 2022 and August 11, all of the clade 2 type.
While the WHO has declared Mpox a global health emergency, the South African Department of Health has assured citizens that the Mpox outbreak is under control.
According to the department, South Africa remains on high alert in the event of an increase in Mpox cases and the emergence of new contagious strains. The overall number of positive cases registered in the country as of Sunday, August 18, 2024, is 24, including three fatalities, 19 recoveries, and two active cases in home isolation.
Twelve cases were reported in Gauteng, eleven in KwaZulu-Natal, and one in the Western Cape. The administration has subsequently urged residents to help prevent the spread of Mpox by following nonpharmaceutical measures such as personal hygiene.
Also read: Two women convicted for murdering their boyfriends



