BANGKOK: Thailand has intensified monitoring and control measures for individuals infected with monkeypox (mpox) to prevent further spread of the disease.
The authorities have strengthened screening at entry points for incoming travellers at high risk of contracting mpox after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak in Africa a public health emergency.
This action follows Thailand’s confirmation of its first mpox case last week, identified as the clade 1b strain of the virus.
Notably, this is the second detection of the 1b strain outside Africa.
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control said it has heightened disease surveillance and screening measures at international communicable disease control checkpoints, particularly for flights from Africa, which receive approximately 300 passengers daily.
“Doctors will be available to provide care for everyone, and laboratory tests can be conducted at the airport,“ its Director-General Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn told reporters on Thursday (Aug 29).
Thongchai noted that mpox remains a communicable disease under surveillance, requiring cooperation from close contacts and at-risk individuals to adhere to specific guidelines for 21 days post-exposure, while healthcare workers must strictly follow infection prevention protocols.
The WHO declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern on Aug 14 following the outbreak of a new, more virulent variant in Africa and beyond.
