MERS In Thailand - 2015 - Thailand News And Articles

Friday 19 June 2015

MERS In Thailand - 2015

MERS THAILAND The Public Health Ministry has quarantined more than 10 people who have close contact with the Mers-infected Omani patient on the same flight to Bangkok while advising others to take leave and stay at homes and report their conditions daily to public health officials. The ministry’s acting permanent secretary Dr Surachet Satitniramai disclosed Friday that health have screened more than 10 people who have close contacts with the Omani patient for close isolated monitoring at various hospitals.

He said although these people have not yet symptom of sickness but they were regarded having close contacts with the patient. For the rest of the over 50 passengers and others, health officials have advised them to take leave and stay homes. They were required to report their conditions to health officials on a daily basis and doctors will visit some of them daily, he said.


He assured that so far the 59 persons traveling on the same flight have not shown any unusual conditions. He said doctors have removed breathing aids as now he could breath by himself, and condition remained stable. He said the private hospital which first received the Omani patient has separated him at restricted room after detecting his unusual sickness. The patient and his family members checked in at the hospital immediately after arriving at Suvarnabhumi airport and taking a taxi to the hospital, he said, and voiced little chance of spreading the disease.

He said the ministry would conduct in depth investigation into the record of the Omani patient again today after tracing his record back to June 17 and could obtain identities of those having close contacts with him. The 75-year-old Omani man arrived in Thailand early this week has been tested positive for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome also known as MERS, becoming the first confirmed case in Thailand.

At a press conference yesterday to confirm the first Mers case in Thailand, Public Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin confirm the laboratory test results of the 75-year-old Omani man, saying that the man has now been put in isolation and is under care of doctors at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute in Bangkok suburban province of Nonthaburi. Rajata said the patient’s health condition is stable and has shown no sign of deterioration. He said three other members of his family have also been put under isolation at the Institute.

According to the public health minister, the man flew to Thailand along with the three family members to receive medical treatment for his heart disease at a private hospital on June 15.
Doctors at the hospital found him to have respiratory illnesses such as fever, coughing and shortness of breath similar to MERS so they alerted the Public Health Ministry. The public health minister assured the public of the country’s disease control system and told them not to panic. Rajata said the ministry was also closely monitoring health conditions of 59 people who have had close contact with the patient including the three members of his family, four hotel staffs, 20 officials at the private hospital, and 32 passengers who were on the same flight with him when he flew into Thailand.

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