What to know about the new mpox strain and global health emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global health emergency as a deadly new strain of mpox is spreading through parts of Africa.

The big picture: This is the second time in just over two years that the WHO has declared mpox — previously known as monkeypox — to be a global emergency.

The latest: Thailand’s health authorities announced Thursday that test results had confirmed that a recently detected case of mpox in the country was indeed caused by the new strain.