BANGKOK – A 44-year-old male prison inmate in Thailand has died of mpox, the country’s Department of Disease Control said on Feb 15.
The patient had multiple underlying conditions, including HIV infection, as well as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis, and had not continued treatment, resulting in severe immunodeficiency.
He is believed to have died a few days earlier.
The Department of Disease Control worked with the Department of Corrections and other relevant agencies to implement disease prevention and control measures immediately, given the unusually severe nature of the case, and to set appropriate surveillance measures.
Mr Nattapong Wongwiwat, the director-general of the Department of Medical Services, said mpox is a viral infectious disease that can spread from animals to humans and from person to person through close contact, bodily fluids or pus-filled lesions of an infected person.
Most cases resolve on their own within two to four weeks, but the disease can be severe in children and people with weakened immune systems.
This includes individuals living with HIV and low immunity, cancer patients, organ transplant recipients and children under the age of eight.
Mpox is a disease that can be fully cured, and its incubation period is between five and 21 days.
Key symptoms include fever, body aches, swollen lymph nodes and pus-filled rashes on the body.
Patients can transmit the virus from the early stage when fever begins, but the rash stage is often when transmission is highest.
The rash typically progresses through these stages: raised red bumps, then clear fluid-filled blisters, followed by pus-filled lesions and finally scabs.
The rash is often found on the face, palms and soles, but it can also appear elsewhere, such as the mouth and genitals.
Diagnosis of mpox is made using real-time polymerase chain reaction testing of fluid from skin blisters, throat specimens or blood.
In patients with mild symptoms, there is currently no specific antiviral treatment; care is mainly supportive, such as fever-reducing medicine and keeping the skin clean.
For immunocompromised patients with severe symptoms, admission for hospital care depends on the doctor’s clinical judgment.
Decisions on using antiviral medicines, which remain under the World Health Organization’s research, depend on specialist physicians.
Although mpox is not easily transmitted and most cases can be resolved with supportive treatment, Thailand’s Department of Medical Services reiterated that people should stay alert and not panic.
The public can take preventive measures, such as avoiding contact with animals that may carry the virus, especially monkeys and rodents. They should wash their hands frequently with soap or alcohol gel, especially after contact with animals or public surfaces.
People should wear a face mask when travelling to high-risk areas with outbreaks. They should avoid contact with secretions, wounds, pus-filled lesions or clear blisters of people with risk history or suspected infection.
If abnormal pus-filled lesions appear on the body after a fever, people should isolate and see a doctor for testing. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK