Hot News :: Swift action has put the MERS situation in Thailand under control
Hot News :: Swift action has put the MERS situation in Thailand under control
23/06/2015
The first case of MERS in Thailand was confirmed on Thursday 18 June 2015. The patient is an Omani citizen entering Thailand to receive medical service.
After he was found to have symptoms of MERS (high fever, cough, shortness of breath), he was immediately isolated. When MERS infection was confirmed by two independent labs, the patient was transferred to a special isolation treatment facility at Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute.
3 relatives of the patient who travelled to Thailand on the same flight with him have also been isolated in separate units at the Institute to monitor whether they would develop MERS. As of 20 June 2015 (14.00 hrs), they have exhibited only mild influenza symptoms and MERS infection has not been confirmed.
The private hospital where the first patient was first treated has been monitoring 59 individuals who have had contact with the patient. So far none has developed symptoms of MERS. They will be monitored for 14 days as advised by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Thai individuals returning from the Republic of Korea and the Middle East
- 38 individuals who have returned from ROK and the Middle East between 1 January – 19 June 2015 have been tested for MERS. The results are all negative. All but one have already been fully monitored for 14 days for possible development of symptoms. The last one (a resident of Chiang Mai recently returned from ROK) will remain under surveillance for the full 14 days requirement.
Preventive measures at Suvarnabhumi International Airport include:
- Thermoscan surveillance cameras have been installed for all passengers on arrival.
- In addition, passengers arriving from countries at risk of infection (37 flights per day) are further checked in person by public health officials for high fever and other symptoms. Health Awareness cards are handed out to all passengers aboard on all such flights, and special disinfection procedures applied to the aircrafts for each arrival.
Preventive measures throughout Thailand include:
- Dissemination of preventive measures and surveillance protocol to all hospitals in the country. Medical staff are briefed to take extra hygiene precaution.
- Daily updates and meetings with both public and private hospitals throughout the country.
- Thailand is well equipped with labs to identify the infection within 8 hours of receiving samples (14 specialised labs throughout the country).
- A Hotline (1422) has been established for the public to report and ask about the disease.
