Mpox outbreak 2024: Five countries tighten border screening as new variant spreads

Several Asian nations are toughening their border controls in response to a new deadlier variant of the mpox virus.

Two cases of the strain, known as Clade 1b, were detected in Sweden and Thailand respectively over the past ten days.

They are the first two confirmed cases outside of Africa, where an outbreak which started in the Democratic Republic of Congo last year has spread to neighbouring countries, claiming hundreds of lives.

New health measures have been introduced or are set to be introduced in Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.

Most involve checks on arrivals, such as temperature screening, while some nations are preparing to quarantine people who show symptoms.