The Department of Disease Control of Thailand has sent a team to Phuket to help search for the missing 27 year old Nigerian man, Osmond Chihazirim Nzerem, the first person in Thailand found to be infected with the Monkeypox virus.
On July 22, Phuket Public Health Office confirmed that the Nigerian man was infected and that he arrived in Phuket on July 9. He went to a hospital on July 16 and found swelling of lymph nodes in his groin areas. He had spent time at Patong entertainment avenues for a few weeks before feeling sick. He also revealed to physicians that he was having sexual intercourse without protection.
The hospital collected samples to be sent to the lab but the patient disappeared from the hospital later on, according to reports in Thai media.
The PCR test (TRC-EIDCC) from the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, confirmed that he is infected with the Monkeypox virus.
His timeline shows that he took a taxi from his condominium then he checked in at a hotel on July 18 and never left his room until July 19. A housekeeper knocked on his door on that date and they had a short conversation but the maid did not enter to clean the room. He disappeared that night around 9pm and has not been seen since.
The Director-general of the Department of Disease Control of Thailand, Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong, says that the officials also checked with two of his friends who were close to him but did not find them infected with the virus. However, the officials will keep monitoring their symptoms for 21 days.
From the search of 142 people who went to the two entertainment avenues that the Nigerian man visited, the team found that 6 of them have sore throats but, so far, no other infections have been. detected They will also be monitored for 21 days.
The team is currently searching people who were in contact with the man at the hotel and more people from the entertainment avenue. At the moment some 142 people are thought to be “at risk”. The rooms at the hotel have been sterilised.
SOURCE: Thairath News Show
