There are no known cases of monkeypox in Thailand, Dr Yong Poovorawan, head of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University, said on Thursday.
He made the assertion to allay fears over the possible spread of the rare disease in this country, following reports of confirmed and suspected cases in the UK, Canada, Spain and Portugal this week. Monkeypox is not a new disease and there is a vaccine for it, said Dr Yong.
Unlike the transmission of smallpox, which is airborne through droplets, monkeypox is transmitted when a person comes into contact with the virus through contaminated body fluids or wounds, he said.
