Thailand has established an emergency operation center to monitor the spread of the monkeypox virus.
Bangkok Post reports that Director-General of Thailand’s Disease Control Department, Dr. Opart Karnkawinpong, said Sunday that monkeypox has not been detected in Thailand, however, there is a risk of the disease spreading from countries that have recorded infections.
He stressed the importance of monitoring the situation now that Thailand has reopened to foreign visitors who may spread the virus while traveling, particularly those from endemic countries like Central and West Africa.
Monkeypox infections have been confirmed in nine European countries as well as the United States, Canada and Australia.
Monkeypox is a viral zoonosis (a virus transmitted to humans from animals) that has symptoms similar to smallpox, but is less clinically severe, according to WHO.
The disease can be transmitted from one person to another by close contact with body fluids, respiratory droplets, and contaminated materials such as bedding.
Monkeypox symptoms include fever, headache, swelling of the lymph nodes, back pain, muscle aches, and asthenia, and can last for up to 21 days.
Skin eruptions usually start one to three days after the fever appears, with lesions appearing to be focused more on the face and extremities than on the trunk.
No deaths have been reported to date amid the current outbreak.
