Health authorities in Thailand say they have confirmed the country's first case of a new strain of mpox, the viral disease previously referred to as monkeypox. This is apparently the first time that an infection involving the more severe strain of the virus has been detected in Asia.

On Thursday, the authorities said they had confirmed the infection in a European man in his 60s. They reported that the individual entered Thailand on August 14, via the Middle East, from an African country where the disease has been spreading.

They said the man is currently receiving treatment at a hospital. The authorities said none of more than 40 people who were near the man on an airplane has complained of symptoms. They noted that they are still monitoring those people.

On August 14, the World Health Organization declared that the ongoing outbreak of mpox in Africa is a public health emergency of international concern.

Mpox causes symptoms, such as a fever and a rash. A large number of cases were reported in 2022, mostly in Europe and the United States.

The WHO says infections are surging again, mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. It says the current outbreak involves a variant that is more likely to cause severe symptoms.