Thailand records its seventh monkeypox case

Thailand’s Department of Disease Control announced yesterday the nation has its seventh monkeypox victim.

A 37 year old Thai woman in Bangkok became the kingdom’s latest victim hot on the heels of the country’s sixth case last week.

DDC Director General Dr Opas Karnkawinpong said the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute reported on Saturday that a woman had tested positive for the disease.

Dr Opas revealed the patient had intercourse with a foreigner but had not travelled abroad recently.

The patient developed a fever on August 20 and found blisters near her anus the following day. Two days later more blisters appeared in other parts of her body, making her seek treatment at a Nonthaburi province institute.

Doctors conducted RT-PCR tests and confirmed her infection on Friday.

Three people have come in close contact with the woman and will be closely monitored until September 11.

Dr Opas advised people to avoid touching the bodily fluids of anyone who has a fever, rash, or blisters, and avoid having sex with untested persons. Always wear a facemask in public, and wash your hands regularly with soap and water or alcohol sanitiser.

“If you find blisters, rashes, or pustules on your body along with symptoms like fever, headache, muscle ache, and swollen lymph nodes, get tested immediately or call the 1422 DDC hotline.”

On Friday, a 21 year old woman in Thailand’s northeast province of Maha Sarakham became the kingdom’s sixth confirmed monkeypox patient. The woman says her symptoms started while she was in Qatar for work.

The woman had worked as a masseuse in Qatar and said that while she was there, she started getting blisters on her private parts on August 10.

Thailand’s fifth case of monkeypox was confirmed earlier this month, in a rather similar story. The patient was a 25 year old Thai woman who was thought to have started displaying symptoms in Dubai before travelling to Thailand.

Thailand’s first monkeypox case was a 27 year old Nigerian man in Phuket, the second case was a Thai man in Bangkok, the third case was found in a German tourist in Phuket, and the fourth in a Thai woman in Samut Prakan.

As of Saturday, 48,331 monkeypox cases have been identified worldwide with 15 deaths. The five countries with the most cases are the US, Spain, Brazil, France, and Germany.

SOURCE: Nation