PRESS RELEASE:
Outbreaks of a new strain of mpox or Monkeypox in Africa continue to alarm health authorities around the world, with nearly 4,000 new cases having been confirmed on the continent in just one week. Meanwhile, Asia’s first mpox patient infected with the new strain, currently hospitalized in Thailand, remains the latest patient identified in the country.
Dr. Wicharn Bunyakittikon, Director of the Division of Epidemiology at the Department of Disease Control (DDC), revealed that the condition of Thailand’s first clade 1b mpox patient has gradually improved. Although the patient remains hospitalized, the skin blisters have mostly crusted over and fallen off. Before the patient can be discharged, samples will be collected and sent to the laboratory to confirm whether mpox viruses are still present on the rashes throughout the man’s body.
Dr. Wicharn also revealed that 43 individuals who were either close contacts of the patient or at risk of contraction have not shown any symptoms and are in good health. No mpox infections have been found among these individuals or among the patient’s family members.
The DDC continues to stringently enforce disease control measures at quarantine stations at airports and STD clinics. A meeting was held on September 4th to follow up on the epidemiology of mpox. On September 6th, the DDC’s vaccine subcommittee will hold an internal meeting to review information about all available mpox vaccines and their usage conditions. The subcommittee will consider which groups need the vaccines, the urgency of vaccine usage in light of current developments, and channels for procuring mpox vaccines for Thailand.
No additional mpox patients have been reported thus far. As of September 3, a total of 833 mpox patients have been reported in Thailand from 2022 to the present.
The preceding is a press release from the Thai Government PR Department.
