Mpox - showing up again

[KeepItReal]

In case you missed it... Still a good idea to get vaccinated if you are not.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2849873/experts-warn-mpox-poses-serious-threat-to-thailand

[Keithambrose]

4 hours ago, KeepItReal said:

In case you missed it... Still a good idea to get vaccinated if you are not.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2849873/experts-warn-mpox-poses-serious-threat-to-thailand

It's being widely publicised. No doubt with homophobic overtones. 

[reader]

From Bangkok Post

The Department of Disease Control said on Wednesday that Thailand may have its first case of a new, more transmissible strain of mpox.

The patient had arrived from Africa and the health of 43 passengers seated near him on the plane was being closely monitored.

DDC director-general Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn said the patient was a 66-year-old European man who had a residence in Thailand and worked in Africa, where mpox is endemic.

He had arrived back in Thailand from Africa at 6pm on Aug 14 on a connecting flight from the Middle East.

The following morning, last Thursday, he had a fever and noticed he had a number of small rashes. He quickly went to a hospital for an examination.

He was diagnosed with mpox, a viral disease.

The initial examination found it was not the previously found Clade 2 strain, which was not easily transmissible. Health officials were awaiting the results of in-depth genetic tests. They would confirm if it was a Clade 1b-type infection. This was a more transmissible strain.

[floridarob]

8 hours ago, reader said:

he patient had arrived from Africa and the health of 43 passengers seated near him on the plane was being closely monitored.

@Olddaddy Those big black African cocks might have to wait.....or could be another chapter in your long lost medical posts 🧐

[reader]

From The Nation

Thai Health Pass Introduced for African Travelers

On August 23, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) and the Division of International Disease Control and Quarantine, Ministry of Public Health, jointly discussed before issuing international guidelines and measures to support the surveillance of Mpox (Monkeypox) in Thailand through an online system.

This system is a collaboration between airline operators, medical departments, Airports of Thailand Public Company Limited, International Air Transport Association, Thai Airways Ground Customer Services Co., Ltd., and Phuket International Airport to determine measures and guidelines for screening travelers from risk areas.

Initially, it was found that areas with high infection rates are the same as Yellow Fever areas in Africa. Therefore, there has been continuous monitoring for signs of Monkeypox in passengers on direct flights from these areas.

To manage the situation more effectively, the Division has added measures requesting airlines to cooperate by having passengers traveling from risk areas register in the Thai Health Pass system. This system will record entry and exit dates and times, making it easier to track and manage cases if infected individuals are found. Passengers who haven’t registered before travel can also register at Thai airports.

Before implementation, CAAT and the Division rehearsed understanding with all airlines at Suvarnabhumi Airport and Phuket Airport on August 22, and announced it to all remaining airlines on August 23.

Continues at

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2024/08/23/thai-health-pass-introduced-for-african-travelers-for-mpox-prevention/

[reader]

From Bangkok Post

Mpox vaccines are necessary only for at-risk groups, not the general population, as the disease is less contagious than Covid-19, according to a prominent virologist.

Dr Yong Poovorawan of Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Medicine posted Facebook on Saturday that vaccination against the disease -- which the World Health Organisation declared on Aug 14 now constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) due to the increase in cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its expansion to neighbouring countries -- is unnecessary for those who are not in high-risk groups.

The high-risk groups include homosexual men, individuals engaging in casual sex, and those who have travelled to countries where the disease is prevalent. He noted that mpox does not spread as easily as Covid-19. It is usually only transmitted through physical or sexual contact and the sharing of a bed, for example.

 

 

Additionally, he said the disease is less severe than Covid-19 during the initial stages of infection. Adults and the elderly who were vaccinated against smallpox (typically those born before 1980) are already partially immune to mpox, Dr Yong added.

The currently available mpox vaccine is expensive but can be reduced by splitting one dose between up to five people, with each receiving an intramuscular injection.

Dr Opass Putcharoen, acting deputy director of the Thai Red Cross Aids Research Centre (Anonymous Clinic), said the research centre administered 400 doses of the mpox vaccine to people between March 1 and Aug 22. More people are actively registering for vaccinations. He agreed with Dr Yong, saying not everyone needs the mpox vaccine. However, those in risk groups should receive two doses of the vaccine, with the second dose administered 28 days after the first.

As for those who received the smallpox vaccine, he said they do not need the mpox vaccine unless they have been in close contact with a patient. In that case, they would be advised to receive one dose to boost their immunity. Dr Opass said people can receive one dose of the mpox vaccine via a subcutaneous injection for 8,500 baht or via an intramuscular injection for 2,200 baht.