Don’t panic over suspected monkeypox case, Phuket health office urges
Phuket’s Public Health Office on Wednesday asked people not to panic as it has to wait for up to two days to see whether a 40-year-old Thai man has monkeypox or not.
Provincial public health chief Kusak Kukiatkul explained that the man was sent from Thalang Hospital to Vachira Phuket Hospital on Tuesday after developing a fever and blisters.
He said the office has to wait for up to two days for the result after medical staff delivered samples taken from the man to Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine for a laboratory test.
The health chief also confirmed the patient hadn’t been in contact with a Nigerian man, who has become Thailand and Cambodia’s first monkeypox patient.
“Hence, we would like to ask people not to panic even though monkeypox can be transmitted by close contact,” he said.
The patient was transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital as there was no bed available for the purpose at Thalang Hospital, Kusak said, adding that some beds at Thalang Hospital have been reserved for Covid-19 patients.
Meanwhile, Vachira Phuket Hospital director Weerasak Lothongkum said the patient developed symptoms similar to chickenpox.
The man is under quarantine and his symptoms are being closely monitored, he added.
