PUBLISHED : 15 Aug 2023 at 05:00
Thailand has recorded its first fatal case of monkeypox after a Thai man who was also HIV-positive and had syphilis, died of the virus, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) said yesterday.
Dr Tares Krassanairawiwong, DDC director-general, told reporters that the 34-year-old had suffered a fever, headache, itching and had a rash on his body on July 3 but decided to receive treatment in a private hospital in Chon Buri on July 11.
Tests later confirmed that he had monkeypox, HIV and syphilis.
The patient had also suffered from a sore throat due to a fungal infection, an opportunistic infection in HIV patients, Dr Tares said. The rash also spread all over his body due to the monkeypox, and he was hospitalised for four weeks before being discharged.
On Aug 9, when the man complained of fatigue and breathing difficulties, his relatives sent him to the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute in Nonthaburi for treatment.
By then, he still had the rash, had large areas of dead tissue on his nose and neck, infections to his limbs, lungs and brain, and severe immunodeficiency.
He received monkeypox medication and antibiotics, but his condition deteriorated and he died on Aug 11.
Dr Tares said monkeypox was an emerging infectious disease in Thailand. As of Aug 8, there had been 189 cases involving 161 Thais and 28 foreigners.
Most cases were among men who had unprotected sex with male strangers, with 43% of those men also being HIV-positive, which caused them to contract the disease more easily due to their immunodeficiency, he said.
DDC deputy director-general, Dr Sophon Iamsirithaworn, said monkeypox was spreading because people continued to indulge in risky behaviour.
There have been 152 fatalities related to monkeypox worldwide since the outbreak was first reported in May last year, Dr Sophon said.
Thailand has received a batch of the antiviral Tecovirimat (TPOXX) drug from the World Health Organisation to treat those who contract the virus, he said.