A 3D generated image of a DNA helix being attacked by the monkeypox virus.
Uma Shankar Sharma | Moment | Getty Images
Asian countries are stepping up precautionary measures after recent cases of the new, more deadly MPOX strain, known as clade 1b, were discovered outside the African continent.
Recently, cases of MPOX have been reported from at least four countries outside the African continent: Thailand, the Philippines, Sweden, and Pakistan.
Thailand
Thailand confirmed its first case of the variant on Thursday and plans to step up surveillance and testing measures at its international airports.
Travelers from polio-endemic countries must register on the Ministry of Health's online platform before departing for Thailand and undergo health screening upon arrival. Travelers who show symptoms of polio will be quarantined.
Travelers arriving from countries where the virus is spreading will be screened for rashes and have their temperatures taken, and the government is preparing quarantine facilities in case the virus spreads.
So far, the first and only clade 1b strain in Thailand was found in a 66-year-old European man who arrived from Africa.
Singapore
Singapore stepped up its MPOX prevention measures on Thursday. Temperature and visual screening will be carried out on arriving passengers and crew at certain airports, according to the Ministry of Health. Travelers with rash, fever or other MPOX symptoms will be referred for medical testing.
However, there are currently no direct flights between Singapore and MPOX outbreak countries.
Similar testing procedures will be applied at sea checkpoints for people arriving by boat from MPOX-infected areas. As of Thursday, the Health Ministry said there had been 13 “mild” cases of lineage 2 infection in the country this year. There were no cases of lineage 1b yet.
South Korea
South Korean health authorities announced Tuesday that the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has redesignated MPOX as an infectious disease subject to quarantine.
Anyone entering from eight African countries will be required to report any symptoms of poliovirus infection to quarantine authorities: Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Kenya, Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Epidemiologists and public health doctors will be stationed at the gates for Ethiopian Airlines direct flights at Incheon Airport, Seoul's main international airport. No cases of the lineage 1b variant have emerged in South Korea.
Indonesia
Philippines and Malaysia
While the Philippines has yet to implement specific preventative measures at airports, a Philippine senator recently urged schools to implement stricter health and hygiene measures and reiterated his call for the establishment of a Philippine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aimed at preventing all diseases of public health significance.
The Philippines reported its first MPOX case this year this week, but the country's health minister noted it was a milder Clade 2 variant. The country has had 10 laboratory-confirmed cases since July 2022, according to Reuters.
According to the Malaysian Ministry of Health, travellers from countries where MPOX cases have been reported in Malaysia must monitor their health for 21 days after arriving in Malaysia.
Those with a “history of risky activities” and symptoms of MPOX are advised to get tested at a health facility. Malaysia has yet to report any cases of the clade 1b variant.
Formerly known as monkeypox, Mpox is a viral infection that spreads through close contact and can cause flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. It is usually mild, but can be fatal.
