Gay men warned to practice safe sex as Mpox infections found in 19 provinces among men
Gay men have been advised to practice safe sex after some 217 people were found to have contracted the viral disease commonly known as “monkeypox” over the past few months.
The Department of Disease Control (DCD) said on Monday that infections have been detected in 19 provinces, and it was only among men.
Sopon Iamsirithaworn, DCD deputy director-general, said the infection rate has worryingly picked up and nearly all patients were found to have had risky sex or slept with strangers.
Of the 217 men who contracted “mpox”, formerly known as “monkeypox”, 30 are foreigners and the remainder Thai. The infected are between 20 and 60 years old.
The DCD has placed the following provinces on different levels of alert based on the number of cases, namely:
• Red Alert: Bangkok (136 cases), Nonthaburi (14), Chonburi (9)
• Orange alert: Samut Prakan (9), Phuket (8), Pathum Thani (7)
• Yellow alert: Rayong (3), Samut Sakhon, Lopburi, Mahasarakham, Khon Kaen, and Phayao (2), Nakhon Ratchasima, Kalasin, Chachoengsao, Suphanburi, Nakhon Nayok, Chiang Rai and Ayutthaya (1).
Sopon said it was worrying that the virus appears to be very prevalent among those who live with HIV.
He said that if people do not indulge in risky intercourse, the chance of them contracting mpox would be next to none.
“For instance, over the past two to three months, no women have contracted the virus. Investigation has shown that almost 100% of the men who contracted the virus had risky sexual behaviours,” Sopon said.
He said that between July 2012 and April 2023, only about 20 cases of mpox were detected in the country. However, May this year alone saw some 20 cases, and the number jumped to about 50 in June and 100 in July.
“We expect the number of cases in August to also be above 100, especially among high-risk groups,” Sopon added.
On August 11, a Thai man with HIV was the first person to die from mpox in Thailand.
Sopon said the death was apparently caused by a combination of both mpox and HIV viruses. He explained that the patient did not know he had HIV. He only tested positive for HIV when he was found to have been infected with mpox. He also had syphilis and his CD4 count was very low, exposing him to many complications.
Sopon said HIV-positive people who are taking antiretrovirals will have similar symptoms as non-HIV carriers when infected with the mpox virus.
However, he said, the rate of the spread was worrying, especially among those who like to have sex with strangers. He said Bangkok has the highest infection rate because residents are known to have risky sexual practices. He said people should take care, especially during this mpox season.
