Thailand has reported a suspected case of a more dangerous strain of the mpox virus, which the World Health Organization has declared a global public health emergency.

The patient is a European traveler who recently arrived in Thailand from an African country, according to Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, the head of Thailand’s Department of Disease Control.

While laboratory tests are still ongoing, officials believe the individual has been infected with the Clade 1 variant of mpox, which is more transmissible and deadlier than the previously dominant Clade 2 strain.

“We have done a test and they definitely have mpox and it’s definitely not Clade 2,” Thongchai told AFP. “We are convinced the person has the Clade 1 variant, but we have to wait to see the final result in the lab for two more days.”

The infected person has been quarantined in a hospital as a precautionary measure.

Mpox cases and deaths have been surging in Africa, where outbreaks have been reported in several countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, since July.

The Clade 1b variant, which is responsible for the recent spike, is known to cause death in about 3.6% of cases, with children being more at risk, according to the WHO.

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This suspected case in Thailand marks the first time the Clade 1 variant has been detected outside of Africa, raising concerns about the potential for further global spread of this more dangerous strain of the disease.

Health authorities are closely monitoring the situation and have initiated the necessary quarantine and testing procedures to contain the potential outbreak and prevent the Clade 1 strain from gaining a foothold in the region.