National –
Thailand's Ministry of Public Health has announced Monkeypox as a communicable disease that must be under close surveillance despite the fact that no infections were found in the country currently.
Dr. Chakrarat Pittayawonganon, Director of the Division of Epidemiology under the Department of Disease Control, told the Associated Press today, May 26th, that the department's academic committee had approved the classification of Monkeypox as a communicable disease that requires close surveillance under the Communicable Diseases Act 2015.
The Director stated: "In Thailand, there have been no patients found among about 10,000 tourists who had daily entered the country. In terms of protection, all foreigners entering Thailand must register on Thailand Plus and receive a 'health beware' card upon arrival. The card will be handed over to Thai returnees as well for self-monitoring."
"Monkeypox is considered an animal-to-human transmission and can be transmitted from person to person via close contact or from touching pustules or secretions of the infected patient."
According to the global reports as of May 23rd, there were 123 cases found globally. Of that, 122 were males and 1 was a female between 20-59 years old. Most of the skin rashes and similar symptoms were found in soft tissue areas, such as the genitals, mouth, and around the anus.
Monkeypox was divided into two species: the West African Clade and the Central African Clade. The West African Clade had a mortality rate of 1 percent while the mortality rate of the Central African Clade was at 10 percent, according to the study.