What is Clade 1b strain? Know all about deadlier version of mpox virus – 5 points

New wards for Monkeypox (Mpox) patients being arranged at Sir Ronald Ross Institute of Tropical and Communicable Diseases (Government Fever Hospital) in view of the recent increase in cases, in Hyderabad, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (PTI Photo)

Mpox virus cases latest news: Amid growing concerns over the surge in mpox infections around the globe, Thailand became the first Asian nation to report the deadlier version of the virus - Clade 1b strain.

With more than 500 deaths reported so far, the spread of the virus has become a cause of concern amid health workers worldwide.

Even as the World Health Organization maintains that ‘mpox is not Covid,’ the spread of the contagious version of the virus has put the post-Covid world on the edge.

As India and other nations prepare for the health crisis, here are top five updates that you need to know about the strain:

1: Clade 1b strain of the mpox virus was first identified in the eastern region of Democratic Republic of Congo. Later, it spread to adjoining countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya.

2: Clade 2 variant, which is said to be bit milder, was responsible for the 2022 and 2023 waves of infections. This time, however, it is the more worrying strain – Clade 1b – which is said to be responsible for the current crisis.

3: Person infected with this strain of the mpox virus shows more severe symptoms like high fever and other issues such as respiratory problems, pneumonia. In some case, patients may also have bacterial infections, a Times of India report said.

4: Clade 1b version has far more fatality rate. According to the medics, this strain can have fatality rate as high as 10 percent.

5: The case in Thailand is the second instance of new strain outside Africa, while the first case was confirmed in Sweden.