Most people are worried by the discoveries of monkeypox cases in Thailand and most already have some knowledge of the virus, according to a survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, or Suan Dusit Poll.
The poll was conducted online on 1,095 people throughout the country from Aug 5-11.
Asked whether they were concerned by the discoveries of monkeypox cases in Thailand, 54,34% were fairly concerned; 27.21% not particularly concerned; 14.16% very concerned; and 4.29% not concerned at all.
Most of the respondents - 66.76% - said they knew a little about monkeypox, while 5.30% had detailed knowledge. On the other side, 24.29% knew very little about it and 3.65% knew nothing of the disease.
Asked which source of information about monkeypox seemed most reliable to them, 37.17% cited the Ministry of Public Health; 16.44% the Department of Medical Services; 14.25% social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; and 9.22% mainstream media such as television, radio and newspapers.
Asked whether they were were more concerned about Covid-19 or monkeypox, 41.19% were equally concerned about the two diseases; 29.32% were more concerned about monkeypox; 24.38% were more concerned about Covid-19; and 5.11% were not concerned by either.
Asked whether they thought the government would be able to handle monkeypox, 46.58% said "yes", 29.22% said "no" and 24.20% were uncertain.
Asked what they wanted the government to do in response to monkeypox, with each respondent allowed to choose more than one answer, 81.55% wanted the government to keep feeding people with correct information; 60.82% said people should be advised how to protect themselves from the disease; 59.36% said the government must disclose all information about the disease without concealing anything; 58.45% said strict measures must be taken to screen and quarantine high-risk people from abroad; and 56.16% wanted the monkeypox vaccine to be made available.
