UPDATED STORY:
The Thai partner of a 25 year old German monkeypox patient has tested negative after tests conducted by a private hospital in Phuket yesterday.
Kusak Kukiatkoon, chief of the provincial health office, says the results from the Department of Medical Science laboratory were ‘negative’.
The woman has variously been described as the man’s girlfriend, his partner and as “his wife” in the Bangkok Post.
The couple arrived in Phuket on July 18 and were staying with the woman’s family near Phuket Town. He began showing symptoms for Monkeypox on July 23. His results were announced on Wednesday this week.
His partner was one of seven people considered at-risk and in close contact with him. All have been kept isolated since the disclosure of the man’s positive result for Monkeypox infection. The status of the other six at-risk people has not yet been disclosed by authorities in Phuket.
ORIGINAL STORY:
The Phuket Provincial Health Office has confirmed Thailand’s third case of monkeypox, the second case in the province. The man has been identified as a 25 year old German who, health authorities believe, was infected before coming to Thailand. The first person to test positive for monkeypox in Thailand this year was a 27 year old Nigerian man in Phuket and the second person was a 47 year old Thai man in Bangkok.
At 1.40pm today, Dr. Kusak Kukiatkul, the Phuket Provincial Public Health Doctor, announced the country’s third case of monkeypox. The private hospital suspected monkeypox, because there were “suspicious symptoms”, including fever, rash, enlarged lymph nodes. Blood and PCR tests were taken and confirmed the man’s infected status.
“This patient came late yesterday and were found out the result of the infection in the evening.”
The 25 year old German man flew directly into Phuket on July 18, and was staying with a Thai female partner and her family. He told doctors that he did not go to any of the island’s entertainment venues. He also mentioned that 25 year old did not identify himself as homosexual or bisexual.
From July 23-24, the man started to show a fever and a slight rash. On July 30-31 there were more rashes, starting on the genitals and spreading to the arms, wrists, torso until August 1, he began to have more fever, rashes, spreading all over the body. On August 2 he was examined at the private hospital, where he received treatment.
Authorities believe that he has been in close contact with up to 7 people, all have been tested and awaiting result, and waiting at heir homes.
“This disease must come in direct contact with the patient on a skin-to-skin basis. It is not easy to spread.”
Worldwide, 24,679 people have been infected with this outbreak of Monkeypox, and about 3 people have died. There have been four smaller outbreaks, outside of central Africa, since 2000.
Most people over the age of 55 have already been inoculated against Smallpox and considered immune from Monkeypox as the diseases have similarities.
SOURCE: Thailand Post English | Bangkok Post
