Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has urged the public not to worry after health officials revealed they had launched an investigation to find a European man believed to have infected a local monkeypox case.
Earlier this week, a Thai man was confirmed to have tested positive for the disease, becoming the second recorded case in the country. Authorities traced contacts and determined that the patient had had intercourse with a foreigner who may have spread the virus to him.
However, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said: “The prime minister has asked people not to panic while also warning them to avoid high-risk behaviour, to ensure safety in the capital following the report.”
Mr. Thanakorn insisted that monkeypox was not highly transmissible and was often spread through direct contact with bodily fluids, injury, or prolonged contact.
Also, most patients recover on their own at home after the first two weeks, he added.
The Department of Disease Control (DDC)’s deputy chief, Dr. Sophon Iamsirithavorn, said an investigation had found the 47-year-old man diagnosed with monkeypox resided in the capital and had no history of interprovincial travel.
The patient has not developed serious symptoms and has been isolated at Vajira Hospital, where he is receiving treatment, Dr. Sophon went on.
The DDC’s deputy chief said the man might have been infected by having sex with the foreign national.
In the meantime, the department has contacted various embassies to try to locate the European man, as he is believed to be carrying the monkeypox virus.
The native Thai patient lived with ten other people. The household is now considered a risk group.
However, all have been monitored and isolated, but none have shown monkeypox symptoms yet, Institute of Urban Disease Control and Prevention’s director Dr. Suthat Chottanapund stated. They all underwent lab tests, but the results have yet to come out.
In another related development, the Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University’s chief Yong Poovorawan raised concerns that animals could become carriers and further spread the virus, posing greater risks to humans who come into contact with them.
Moreover, it was previously thought that most patients caught the virus through homosexual encounters, but recent research shows that women and men are equally likely to become infected.
However, Thai authorities have urged people to remain calm and take precautionary measures to avoid the disease now that global cases have increased.
