A total of 535 cases of monkeypoxes were reported nationwide between May 2022 and October 2023, said Dr Taweechai Wisanuyothin, director of the Nakhon Ratchasima-based Region 9 Disease Control Office, citing the figures released by the Department of Disease Control (DDC).
The cases comprised 481 Thai nationals, 50 foreigners and four others whose nationalities were not reported. One person among them died.
The majority, 313 cases, were in Bangkok, followed by 57 in Chon Buri, 30 in Nonthaburi and 26 in Phuket.
Most were male in the age group of 30-39, followed by those in the 20-29 and 40-49 age groups.
Dr Taweechai said six monkeypox cases were found in four provinces under the jurisdiction of his office: two each in Nakhon Ratchasima and Buri Ram and one each in Chaiyaphum and Surin.
Most of the cases contracted the disease either through sexual contact with strangers with unknown health records or having more than one sleeping partner.
During the first stage of monkeypox spread, those at-risk were primarily males in the working group.
From August this year, 16 more cases were reported. The disease was found to be spreading from the working group to younger people, Dr Taweechai said.
