UPDATE: 12 people exposed to monkeypox forced to quarantine in Thailand

UPDATE:

The 12 crew members and passengers who were in close contact with a traveller infected with monkeypox – who stopped off at Bangkok’s Survarnabhumi airport for 2 hours before flying on to Australia – are currently being forced to quarantine in Thailand.

The 12 people have already been in enforced quarantine for 7 days and have shown no symptoms of monkeypox so far.

Dr. Chakkarat Pitayowonganon from Thailand’s Department of Disease Control – or DDC – said the “suspected cases” will be subjected to tests, background risk checks, disease investigation, treatment and quarantine until it is proved they are clear of the disease.

The DDC didn’t specify how many days they would have to remain detained in quarantine.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Twelve travellers to Thailand are under watch after coming into close contact with a passenger who was later detected with monkeypox. But none of them have shown any signs of symptoms.

The 12 people, a mix of passengers and flight attendants, were with the infected person for 2 hours in transit, after the traveller’s flight from Europe stopped at BKK (Suvarnabhumi Airport).

The group has been asymptomatic for the past 7 days but will be “observed” until the final day of the reported incubation period, which is 21 days, according to the director of epidemiology at the Department of Disease Control, Chakkarat Pitayawonganon.

Those who came into contact with the infected are NOT considered high risk because the individual was asymptomatic during the transit period. The person later showed signs of monkeypox infection at his final destination in Australia.

There are still NO confirmed cases of monkeypox in Thailand.

The current monkeypox strain has a very low fatality rate (around 1%). There are a few signs to watch out for including sore throat, headache, body pains, fever, rashes and blisters.

Thai health officials are on the lookout for anyone showing these symptoms, and monitoring anyone who has travelled from countries where cases have been reported.

So far there has not been any confirmed monkeypox cases in Thailand. As of yesterday, there were 494 monkeypox patients confirmed across 32 countries, comprising 406 confirmed cases and 88 suspected cases. There are 139 confirmed cases in Spain, 101 in England, 74 in Portugal, 63 in Canada, 22 in Germany and 13 in the US.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post | Ch3