As more cases of monkeypox are recorded in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, Thai officials are accelerating health screening for international travellers. When international tourists arrive in the country, they will be required to fill out a health declaration card, which coincides with the loosening of Covid-19 entrance restrictions.
The card will include a QR code that will provide information on symptoms and how to report them while in Thailand, according to the Bangkok Post. Anyone who is thought to be infected will be directed to a treatment centre.
The health check comes after the establishment of an emergency centre to track monkeypox's spread outside of Africa, with health officers particularly concerned about appearances from Central and West Africa, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Portugal. International travellers with probable monkeypox symptoms will be transferred to a hospital for testing, according to the Department of Disease Control.
Human-to-human transmission can occur through direct contact with lesions, bodily fluids, breathing droplets, or infected surfaces, according to Dr Chakkarat Pitayowonganon of the DDC. He points out that apparent indicators of infection, such as rashes and patches that develop into blisters and eventually scabs, may not present during the incubation period, allowing infected individuals to bypass airport security and enter Thailand.
According to Chakkarat, airport officials will conduct thorough checks on passengers arriving from countries where monkeypox is a concern, and all passengers will be forced to complete health declaration cards. Fever, headache, body aches, enlarged glands, chills, and exhaustion are all signs of monkeypox.