Bangkok –
Prominent Thai doctor Yong Poovorawan asked the public to monitor the spreading situation of "monkeypox" abroad closely but not to panic over the disease as no case had ever been found in Thailand since 1970.
The doctor stated on his Facebook account today, May 20th, that monkeypox is not a new disease. It is similar to chickenpox but the severity and the transmissibility of the monkeypox are much less.
Monkeypox's human-to-human transmission is possible, but it requires very close contact, such as touching pustules or secretions, sharing clothes, sleeping in the same bed, and raising animals that are carriers of this disease.
He said: "In the past, there had not been a Monkeypox pandemic, only found in certain groups in Africa and in case-by-case in Europe and America. And, there had been reported cases in Singapore. This time in England, it may be sexually transmitted but the investigation is ongoing, still waiting for confirmation"
"The virus is categorized in the same group as smallpox. Therefore, it is believed that the smallpox vaccine is likely to prevent this disease. However, this must be studied and confirmed in further steps. There's nothing to panic about. The infection requires very close contact."
"However, surveillance is essential, especially among those traveling from West Africa and Central Africa and those importing animals into the Kingdom." Dr. Yong concluded.