BANGKOK: There is no new monkeypox cases reported in Thailand since the first case reported in the kingdom last week.
Phuket Provincial Health Chief Dr. Kusak Kukiattikoon said a total of 14 individuals who were deemed as high-risk as they were in close contact with the kingdom’s first patient, tested negative for monkeypox.
“The results for another seven are expected to be in within a day or two,” he said.
He added that the public health authorities are stepping up active case finding after a 27-year-old Nigerian, who had overstayed his visa in Thailand, was diagnosed with monkeypox in the resort city of Phuket on July 18.
However, the man had gone missing after being informed of his positive test result. He was found in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Saturday and taken to hospital for treatment.
Meanwhile, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan o-cha has instructed Public Health Ministry and relevant agencies to prepare response plan to manage monkeypox risk in the kingdom.
Government Spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said Prayuth has ordered the immigration office to intensify surveillance at the country’s entry points especially travellers from high-risk countries.
He said Public Health Ministry also upgraded its monkeypox alert to national level in a bid to boost public confidence on the country’s health system efficiency.
“The public is urged to strictly continue their compliance with the universal prevention measures to prevent the spread of both COVID-19 pandemic and the monkeypox,” he said in a statement here today.
On Saturday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox as “A Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)”. The classification is the highest alert WHO can issue following upsurge in cases worldwide.
To date, more than 16,000 cases have now been reported from 75 countries, WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. – Bernama
