US Stock Market News | Thailand confirms the first case of a new monkeypox strain in Asia, stocks related to monkeypox treatment concept rise in early trading
Thailand on Thursday confirmed the first case of a new variant of monkeypox in Asia, leading to a general rise in the stock prices of related therapy companies in the US such as T2 Biosystems, GeoVax Labs, and Tonix Pharmaceuticals. The patient is a European male who arrived in Bangkok from Africa last week. The Ministry of Health has identified 43 close contacts and is monitoring the situation. This new variant, known as type Ib, has a higher mortality rate and is the first time it has been found outside of the Congo region
According to Zhitong Finance, on Thursday, Thailand detected the first new variant of monkeypox in Asia. Following the news, shares of US companies developing monkeypox treatments generally rose in early trading on Thursday, with T2 Biosystems (TTOO.US) and GeoVax Labs (GOVX) up over 2%, and Tonix Pharmaceuticals (TNXP.US) up over 1%.
The Department of Disease Control of the Thai Ministry of Health stated that the patient who tested positive for the Ib branch is a European male who arrived in Bangkok from Africa last week. Authorities have identified close contacts of 43 patients and are monitoring them. The patient with symptoms related to monkeypox was hospitalized on August 15, the second day after arriving in Bangkok. The department stated that Thursday's laboratory tests confirmed the variant to be of the Ib branch.
Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease caused by the monkeypox virus, which can cause fever, pain, and skin pustule lesions. It has mainly occurred in Central and West Africa in the past, primarily transmitted among humans through sexual contact. This is the second time in over two years that the WHO has declared a monkeypox outbreak a "public health emergency of international concern." The current monkeypox outbreak "raises an alarm" also originated in the Congo. A new variant of the monkeypox virus first appeared in September 2023 and has now been found outside the Congo for the first time. This new variant is of the Ib type of monkeypox virus, different from the type II monkeypox virus that was prevalent in the second half of 2022, with a higher fatality rate