BANGKOK (CNA) – The first case of monkeypox has been confirmed in Thailand, but the patient, a 27-year-old Nigerian man, went missing after being informed of his positive test result on July 18.
The case was detected on the popular resort island Phuket last weekend when the patient visited a private hospital with symptoms similar to those of monkeypox.
According to health officials, the hospital took a blood sample from the patient and performed swabs for laboratory tests, and it came out positive.
“On July 18, at about 6pm, we knew the result from the first laboratory test at Chulalongkorn University. After learning the result, the hospital called the patient to arrange his transfer for medical treatments but he refused and switched off his phone,” Head of the Phuket Public Health Office Dr Koosak Kookiatkul said in a press conference yesterday.
According to the Phuket health chief, the patient entered Thailand on October 21, 2021 and stayed in a condominium in Phuket’s Patong from November.
He often visited entertainment venues in the province. After his hospital visit on July 16, the patient was advised to quarantine at his apartment. However, according to Dr Koosak, CCTV footage showed him leaving his accommodation after being informed of the positive test result on July 18 and checking in at a hotel in Patong on the same day.
“On July 19, he was still in the premises but didn’t let the staff clean his room. At 9pm, he placed his room key at the reception and left,” Dr Koosak added.
Health officials and local authorities have been tracking the patient to provide him with medical treatments and to control the spread of the disease since Monday. They are also conducting active case finding and contact tracing.
