Twenty-four more cases of monkeypox were found in Thailand last week, and one patient infected with the virus died, the acting director-general of the Disease Control Department said on Monday.
Dr Thongchai Kiratihatayakorn said nine of the 24 cases were found in Bangkok, three each in Chiang Mai and Nonthaburi, two in Phuket and one each in Nakhon Pathom, Chon Buri, Pathum Thani, Prachin Buri, Saraburi, Udon Thani and Ubon Ratchathani.
One monkeypox patient, who was also HIV-infected, died last week. He was a 24-year-old Thai who had been infected with HIV for three years. He caught monkeypox and was admitted to hospital on Aug 25. The man was frail, with a high fever and a rash on his face, hands and genitals.
He was transferred to Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute on Sept 12 for further treatment, and died there last week.
The first case of monkeypox in Thailand was diagnosed in July last year. As of Oct 28, there were 559 diagnosed cases with the one death - 503 were Thai nationals, 52 foreigners of known nationality and four whose nationality was not known.
Of the total, 474 were of the diverse sexuality group - 474 (44%) were also HIV positive, 241 were in the 30-39 year age group and 172 aged 20-29 years.
Dr Thongchai advised risk groups to avoid having sex with strangers and refrain from close contact with people with skin rashes and blisters.