Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has warned people to protect themselves from Plasmodium knowlesi malaria and advised people to see a doctor if they developed symptoms after staying close to a monkey or returning from a forest.
Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said that the prime minister issued the warning out of his public health concern because thunderstorms in many areas could increase the number of the mosquitoes that carried diseases, especially Plasmodium knowlesi malaria.
The malaria parasite could be transmitted by anopheles mosquitoes from monkeys to humans.
The spokesman quoted the Ministry of Public Health as reporting that from Oct 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, more than 70 people suffered from Plasmodium knowlesi malaria and most of them lived in southern provinces including Ranong and Songkhla.
Anyone who had high fever and headache, felt very cold or sweated after returning from a forest or being in close contact with a monkey should see a doctor immediately for examination. Quick treatment could prevent severe complications and death, Mr Thanakorn said. (TNA)
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