“No people infected with monkeypox have been found in the area. We ask people not to worry as our surveillance measures are ready,” Governor Narong said.
The confirmation follows Dr Chakkarat Pittayawong-anon, Director of the Department of Disease Control (DDC) Division of Epidemiology, under the Ministry of Public Health, revealing that one confirmed case of monkeypox had been identified as transiting at an airport in Thailand, Governor Narong explained.
Twelve people were considered to have had high-risk exposure to the traveller. All 12 were initially asymptomatic, he added.
“Five of them were found to be in the high-risk range. Three of them were Icelandic tourists who had traveled to Thailand to learn Muay Thai in Phuket,” he said.
“The three tourists were confirmed to have herpes and they have received treatment to prevent the spread of the disease,” he said.
“A report from the Phuket Public Health Office [PPHO] and the director of Vachira Phuket Hospital have confirmed that Phuket has not had any infections of monkeypox at this time,” Governor Narong assured.
“At Phuket International Airport, we have measures to screen people arriving from abroad. We have staff to take care of them from our COVID measures who are taking care of this as well, and are giving special attention to tourists coming from European countries, especially high-risk areas,” he said.
“I would like to ask the people of Phuket, including tourists who have travelled here, to understand that we have screening for entering the country via the airport and we have public health measures. We are ready to take full care.
“Please don’t worry, especially if you have symptoms similar to monkeypox. We ask such people to go see a doctor at a hospital. We also ask to avoid contact with any person with symptoms similar to chicken pox,” he added.