Unfold a plan to defend against ‘smallpox monkey’
The situation to control the spread of COVID-19 in Thailand began to send positive signals The infection began to decrease. Parallel to easing measures to open the country to walk towards endemic disease Like many other countries around the world began to recover. But Thailand must come and watch.Monkeypox (Monkeypox) It is spreading harder in many countries around the world.
this matter General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister Has ordered to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) to monitor the development of smallpox. Later, a Public Health Emergency Operations Center was established, Department of Disease Control, in case of monkey pox. to monitor the situation, trends and anticipate future situations To formulate long-term and medium-term plans to improve strategies and measures accordingly
when talking about recurrent disease in the past Monkey smallpox first appeared a long time ago. Some outbreaks have been found in central and western Africa. Currently, patients are still found in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
nature of infection from “Animals to People” then become “Person to Person” causing widespread outbreaks, divided into 2 main species: 1.West African clade, mild symptoms, mortality rate of 1%, and 2.Central African clade, more severe symptoms. Mortality rate of 10%
For endangered animals in monkeys, rodents, small mammals in Africa such as rats, through very close contact. or touching wounds, secretions, clothing that has been exposed to secretions
Some have observed that the easing of COVID-19 The increase may be another cause of more infections abroad in the past 2-3 weeks. The incubation period for the disease is 5-21 days from the date of exposure. During this epidemic Because at the beginning of May there was an infection outside the country, namely Europe, spreading person-to-person. In the case of people attending the Pride Festival in Spain, the participants are very close. Therefore, the infection occurred in many countries.
Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong, MD. Director-General of the Department of Disease Control said the World Health Organization statement confirmed that Approximately 80 cases of monkey pox have been identified, and 50 suspected cases of monkeypox are being investigated in 11 countries that are not endemic sites of monkeypox. There is a tendency to see more cases in many other countries. The first case was in England with a history of traveling to Nigeria in late April. As a result, the British began to monitor and search for more patients. And so far, more than 100 cases have been confirmed from 15 countries, including the United Kingdom, England, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, Israel, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Greece.
for Thailand The Director-General of the Department of Disease Control confirmed that there have been no reports of monkey pox cases. but be careful Due to Thailand’s green light to allow more travel into the country There may be a risk from travelers from endemic areas in both Europe and Central Africa. and West Africa both in the international entry-exit channels or those who travel from such countries to major tourist provinces The Department of Disease Control has now raised the level of surveillance for those traveling from these risky countries.
Dr. Opas also mentioned about monkey pox screening that The International Communicable Disease Control and Quarantine Division has screened for smallpox for people entering the country through the Thailand Pass system, helping to detect high-risk groups faster. and prevent the spread of the disease in the country
for domestic disease surveillance The focus is on monitoring people traveling from high-risk countries such as Central African countries such as Nigeria and the Congo, and European countries that have already spread domestically. When at the airport in the country of origin, symptoms may not be shown. But when it comes to Thailand, there may be symptoms.
Screening looks for a fever of 38°C or a history of fever with one symptom, including sore throat, headache, muscle aches, back pain, and enlarged lymph nodes. accompanied by a rash spreading along the body It looks like a raised blister, clear water blister, pustular blister or scab blister. and arriving from or living in a country with a domestic monkeypox outbreak within 21 days; and handing out a health beware card (QR code) for those with the condition to scan into the system to report. The main symptoms on the card indicate that if you have symptoms such as fever, blisters, report them to the system and see a doctor in the nearest hospital. as well as inform the authorities about travel history from high-risk countries
At the same time, the Department of Medical Sciences As a laboratory of The Ministry of Public Health has prepared a diagnostic test to monitor communicable diseases in people. and the quality analysis of the smallpox vaccine (smallpox) to certify the quality of the vaccine that will be used to prevent disease.
while Mingkwan Wichaidit, MD, director of the Dermatology Institute give more knowledge that A person infected with monkeypox develops a fever. Muscle aches, headaches, fatigue, and enlarged lymph nodes Difference between monkey pox and smallpox That is, in smallpox, there are no enlarged lymph nodes. But in monkey pox, it occurs within 1-3 days after the onset of illness. A rash will begin to appear on the face and spread to other parts of the skin. Then the rash will bulge up into a blister. then turned into blisters, pustules, and eventually burst into scabs The disease progression takes about 2-4 weeks, while the mortality rate is about 10% due to complications from lung infections. Dehydration and Encephalitis
In the laboratory, PCR is used to examine the fluid from the skin blister. Treatment with antiviral drugs cidofovir, Tecovirimat and brincidofovir. Currently, there is a vaccine licensed for the prevention of monkeypox in the United States, JYNNEOS. wash your hands often with soap or alcohol gel Refrain from eating wild food or cooking food from wild animals. Avoid contact with wild animals from high-risk areas or sick wildlife. and avoid contact with people with a history of high-risk areas and symptoms
There is a doubt that The Ministry of Public Health has prepared both in terms of knowledge for the general public. Organizing a laboratory to detect infection treatment Patient screening and surveillance, why hasn’t Thailand declared monkeypox as a dangerous contagious disease? Dr. Chakrarat Pittayawong Anon Director of the Division of Epidemiology, Department of Disease Control gave an answer on this matter that Thailand has screened travelers from high-risk countries at international screening checkpoints. Since May 24, 2022, the rate of travel into Thailand for both foreigners and Thais has averaged 10,000 per day, but no suspected cases have yet been found. And at this time in Thailand, there are no monkey pox cases before. is an epidemic abroad but not a widespread epidemic very low mortality rate Therefore, monkey pox is prescribed as a contagious disease for surveillance only.
At this point, the Ministry of Public Health has closely monitored the situation 24 hours a day. Thailand can certainly cope in a timely manner.
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