A THAI MAN who worked as a masseur in Qatar and fell ill there was confirmed to have contracted monkeypox upon returning home and is now country’s 11th case, Naewna newspaper said today (Oct. 17)
Dr. Thares Krasanairawiwong, acting head of the Disease Control Department, said the 40-year-old unidentified man developed symptoms on Oct. 8 getting a fever with a rash then appearing on his hips, arms and hands.
Upon returning to Thailand on Saturday Oct. 15 he was examined at a private hospital in Pathum Thani with initial diagnosis pointing to monkeypox and this later confirmed by laboratory tests at Bamrasnaradura institute.
As of Oct. 13 there were 72,198 confirmed cases of monkeypox in 109 countries. The top five countries with the highest total are the US with 26,594 cases; Brazil with 8,461; Spain 7,239; France 4,043; and the UK 3,654.
There were also 28 deaths including seven Nigerians, five Brazilians, four Ghanaians, two each Spaniards, Camaroonians and Americans and one each Belgian, Ecuadorian, Indian, Sudanese, Cuban and Czech.
Of the 10 previous monkeypox cases in Thailand one is still within the 21-day follow-up stage while no additional infection was found in 59 people who had close contact with him but 10 of them are being followed up, he said.
Hospitals have been requested to cooperate in quarantining suspected cases and collecting samples for verification to prevent the spread of infection.
People can protect themselves from monkeypox by avoiding close contact with those who have fever, rash, blisters and pustules around the body. They should refrain from having sex with strangers, wear a face mask when coming into close contact with others, wash their hands or use alcohol gel often and not share personal items with others.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Monkeypox is similar to smallpox but less severe and less infectious too. Credit: Roger Harris/Science Photo Library via Getty Images and published by Livescience.com
Front Page: Dr. Thares Krasanairawiwong. Photo: Matichon
Also read: 3 Thais found infected with new Covid strain XBB in Hong Kong
Beware of life-threatening disease when walking through muddy water
Covid jab service shifting from Bang Sue station to Dermatology Institute
Emergency decree scrapped, CCSA disbanded from Oct. 1
Love Chocolates Community 
3 Replies to “11th monkeypox case emerges in Thailand”