Thailand’s first monkeypox patient found after fleeing to Cambodia
- After learning of his diagnosis, the Nigerian tourist fled his Phuket accommodation and turned off his phone, sparking a manhunt across Thailand
- Cambodian police found the runaway at a Phnom Penh guest house and he has since been sent to the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital for medical treatment
A Nigerian man who went on the run after becoming Thailand’s first monkeypox case was found in Phnom Penh on Saturday and taken to hospital, the Cambodian Health Ministry said.
It comes the same day the World Health Organization (WHO) officials in Geneva declared the monkeypox outbreak as a global health emergency on Saturday.
The 27-year-old tourist – who had overstayed his visa in Thailand – was diagnosed with monkeypox in the resort city of Phuket on Monday, a Thai health official said.
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During his stay in Phuket, the man had visited two entertainment venues, and 142 people are now being screened for the virus, a health official said, adding that the man also had unprotected sex with a woman.
After learning of his diagnosis, he fled his Phuket accommodation, turned off his phone and failed to respond to police or health workers’ messages.
His getaway sparked a manhunt across Thailand and authorities said on Saturday his phone signal was detected in a northeastern province bordering Cambodia.
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After searching several locations Saturday, Cambodian police found the runaway at a Phnom Penh guest house and he has since been sent to the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital for medical treatment.