9th and 10th monkeypox infections found in Phuket

A German man and a Thai woman have become the 9th and 10th confirmed cases of monkeypox in Thailand. The two were identified this week in Phuket and are now receiving treatment at a public hospital there. The Department of Disease Control has released details about the two new infections.

Public health officials are already investigating and have traced a number of people who may have come in close contact with the two new infected patients and could be at high risk for monkeypox. So far they have not identified any other spread of the infection.

The first monkeypox patient was a 37 year old Thai woman. She works as a service employee and first began feeling symptoms on September 16. She bought medicine after experiencing muscle pain, a sore throat, and a fever. It wasn’t until days later that she found blisters around her body and a rash on her bottom.

She went to the local hospital in Phuket where she was treated and interviewed about her movements and interactions before developing symptoms. Doctors there send samples for testing in the lab and the results came back positive for monkeypox on Monday.

She said she had not travelled abroad or come in contact with anyone that she knew to have blisters or rashes that might indicate monkeypox. She did mention, however, that she had been in close contact on September 17 with a German man.

Authorities worked to track down the 54 year old German man and eventually found him with the help of the Disease Control Office in Nakhon Si Thammarat. He was tested and confirmed to be infected with monkeypox as well.

After confirming the two cases, authorities identified 10 other people put been in close contact with the woman. Two of them were considered to be at low risk, while the other eight were at high risk including the German man later diagnosed with monkeypox.

Disease investigation officials are now keeping a close eye on all 10 of the at-risk people, while the two confirmed monkeypox infections remain in the hospital in Phuket.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post