The Sri Lankan government’s recent decision to allow visa-free entrance for individuals of 35 countries has raised major concerns, particularly given an increase in Monkeypox cases in several of these countries.
So far, the majority of reported cases around the world involve people who have been to countries with much higher case counts.
According to reports, Thailand, one of the nations granted the visa-free facility, has identified a Monkeypox case in a European man who travelled from Africa last week and is awaiting test results to confirm the strain.
A senior health official told on Friday that local health authorities have advised appropriate officials to increase monitoring at airports and seaports in light of the worldwide situation, the Daily Mirror reported.
This comes after the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently declared the infectious disease a public health emergency of international significance.
While contingency plans are in place, the official stated that the Medical Research Institute has the capacity to test Monkeypox cases.
The number of cases in Sri Lanka has not increased significantly in recent years.
However, the Ministry is implementing extra security measures.
