Thai Virologist Dismisses Norovirus Outbreak 'Fake News'

[webfact]

Dr. Yong. File photo courtesy: NNT

 

A wave of concern has swept through Thailand following rumours of an alleged norovirus outbreak. However, experts, including a leading virologist from Chulalongkorn University, are urging calm, labelling the reports as misinformation.

 

In a clarifying statement released via Facebook on Thursday, Dr Yong Poovorawan, who heads the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology, reassured the public that there is no cause for alarm.

 

Dr Yong, who has been researching noroviruses for over a decade, emphasised the natural diversity of the virus and its usual activity during cooler months. While norovirus incidents have been notably lower in recent years due to increased hygiene during the Covid-19 pandemic, Dr Yong noted a recent uptick as hygiene practices have become relaxed.

 

The chatter about a significant outbreak allegedly affecting Thai schools in early November gained momentum after being shared widely on social platforms. The post suggested the situation was dire, with claims of widespread sickness among students and staff. However, Dr Yong clarified that the referenced outbreak actually occurred in China, not Thailand, as social media posts mistakenly indicated.

 

"It's normal to see more norovirus cases during winter, similar to how we see increases in rotavirus cases. There's no need for panic," Dr Yong stated.

In a coordinated effort to dispel fears, the Department of Health also tackled claims regarding an outbreak in Rayong. Social media reports had suggested that 1,436 students and teachers fell ill after a sports day event in early November.

 

Officials were quick to label these claims as false, explaining that the actual culprit for the illness was identified as Escherichia coli, not norovirus. The department highlighted the importance of proper hygiene to prevent E. coli infections.

 

With public anxiety brewing over such unsubstantiated reports, authorities are urging citizens to verify information through trustworthy sources before accepting it as fact. The impact of misinformation can be costly, not just financially but in terms of unnecessary panic and disruption.

 

Despite the social media frenzy, it seems the real virus causing a stir is fake news. For the concerned Thai public, the message from health experts and officials is clear: keep calm, practice good hygiene, and always scrutinise the sources of your information, reported Bangkok Post.

 

-- 2024-12-20

 

 

[ukrules]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Officials were quick to label these claims as false, explaining that the actual culprit for the illness was identified as Escherichia coli, not norovirus

 

Oh dear, E coli is far worse than Norovirus and is actually a bacteria and we all know where the majority of our E Coli resides, don't we?

 

[dinsdale]

What complete nonsense this is. Gastro basically. If you want to talk about making something from nothing this is a perfect example. Keep people in fear. This was the basis of the last four years. The gullible fall for it.

[arick]

9 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

Oh dear, E coli is far worse than Norovirus and is actually a bacteria and we all know where the majority of our E Coli resides, don't we?

 

Your mouth?

[ukrules]

8 minutes ago, arick said:

Your mouth?

 

No, raw sewage

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

A wave of concern has swept through Thailand following rumours of an alleged norovirus outbreak. However, experts, including a leading virologist from Chulalongkorn University, are urging calm, labelling the reports as misinformation.

While I've noticed many people around coughing their lungs up.. maybe that has something to do with the sudden cold snap we have at the moment?

[Aussie999]

as usual, in Thailand, if it will affect tourism (read money) then denial comes to the forefront, who do we believe, someone with a motive, or reports from many tourists, from different areas, of Thailand, who originate from different countries.

[Tropicalevo]

Thai Virologist Dismisses Norovirus Outbreak 'Fake News'

 

He should know - he is an expert at that.

[connda]

19 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

He should know - he is an expert at that.

The term "expert" was a cudgel that was use to beat the public into a panic-filled frenzy for 4 years. My response to the term "expert:"  🐂 💩

[john donson]

maybe another, did we serve trash for kids lunch and pocketed the money?

[Patong2021]

20 hours ago, dinsdale said:

What complete nonsense this is. Gastro basically. If you want to talk about making something from nothing this is a perfect example. Keep people in fear. This was the basis of the last four years. The gullible fall for it.

Tell that to the 2 Holland American cruiseships and the hundreds of passengers vomiting and crapping their pants.

[dinsdale]

3 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

Tell that to the 2 Holland American cruiseships and the hundreds of passengers vomiting and crapping their pants.

Elucidate please and post links. As for cruise ships gastro outbreaks are not out of the ordinary.

[KhaoTakiab]

15 hours ago, connda said:

The term "expert" was a cudgel that was use to beat the public into a panic-filled frenzy for 4 years. My response to the term "expert:"  🐂 💩

An expert usually bases his/her opinion on 10-20 years of research.

On what are your opinions based?

[Rimmer]

Conspiracy troll / misleading posts have been removed

@bkknirvana

[Woke to Sounds of Horking]

. . . and what did the right honorable Mr Yong have to say about tomato flu, monkey pox, Mpox or Disease X?

 

Hmmm?

[Patong2021]

15 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Elucidate please and post links. As for cruise ships gastro outbreaks are not out of the ordinary.

 

Why would you need links for events that are widely reported. The number is now 3 cruise ships and 300+ passengers & crew. 

https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2024-12-20/norovirus-sickens-hundreds-on-three-cruise-ships-cdc

 

The reason why cruise ships infectious illness outbreaks  are  known is because they are now reportable. Previously, such occurrences did not have to be made public. We can thank the  US CDC for requiring that level of disclosure. The Cruise industry has tried for years to have the reporting requirement reversed. These outbreaks are not spontaneous. They occur because infected people board the cruise ships and infect people. In most cases, the passengers know that they are sick, but still board anyway.

 

Many infectious diseases are imported  to a geographic zone  by foreigners. This is a known fact and it happens whenever a domestic population is "disrupted" by foreign agents. Covid as a mass infection was first identified in the Koh Samui area and was prevalent amongst the European tourists who were visiting Thailand. They in turn infected other Europeans who brought the disease back to their homelands. The local Thai service industry staff, who were infected, carried the disease to their home areas.

A more brutal illustration was the 2013 cholera outbreak in Haiti.  Nepalese UN  personnel were cholera carriers and their sewage waste contaminated the community where they were billeted. 

 

Because an illness is not reported or is under reported does not mean that it does not exist or is not present. We are currently seeing a resurgence of  Covid infections, Flu and RSV. in western nations. The infections  will be transported to vacation destinations by infected visitors.

[Patong2021]

1 hour ago, Woke to Sounds of Horking said:

. . . and what did the right honorable Mr Yong have to say about tomato flu, monkey pox, Mpox or Disease X?

 

Hmmm?

 

Please educate yourself. Very different models of infection and at risk people.

 

Tomato flu aka Hand, mouth foot disease is  a manageable viral infection caused by Coxsackievirus A-6 and A-16 of the enterovirus group. It is most likely in children age 5 and under. It infects tens of thousands in Thailand. It is a predictable annual seasonal epidemic that spikes in June, July and August. It is most severe and frequent in Bangkok, and less severe in provinces with lower population density. It is an expensive illness because of the toll it places on families.

 

MPox aka Monkey pox Monkeypox is caused by monkeypox virus of the genus an Orthopoxvirus. This a disease that was initially imported from Africa, most likely by Europeans. The initial western outbreaks were traced back to raves and sex fetish events in Spain and Germany. Visitors to these events brought the disease back to their homelands  and from there to Thailand.  The western quick response was instrumental in containing a pandemic and the vaccination of at risk individuals acted to slow and in some countries stop the spread of disease. Unfortunately, enough infected westerners entered Thailand and  had intimate relations with Thais, most likely sex workers, to result in 800+ infections as of  August 2024. It was being managed through vaccinations of at risk Thais.

 

It all changed last August when the new deadly Clade Ib strain of the virus appeared in Thailand. The carrier was a European who had arrived in Thailand on August 14th on a flight from the Middle East, but his journey had originated in Central Africa. Fortunately, he was quarantined and all of his Thai contacts tested negative. (Whether the Gulf based airline informed  its at risk passengers is uncertain.)  The quick and well directed intervention by the MoH protected Thailand's national health security and helped prevent a national catastrophe.

 https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2859542/first-case-of-new-mpox-variant-recovers. Thailand then took further steps to protect its people by adding a screening requirement for the disease for the countries already on its Yellow fever screening list.

 

Thailand's response was  textbook near perfect and deserves praise. Most critics of public health and Thais in this forum are oblivious to how close Thailand came to a health catastrophe that could have destroyed tourism for 2024 and created a real fear of foreigners.

 

Thailand's response to a possible norovirus outbreak can be expected to be no less top quality. I would expect that the MoH is first investigating. It is often difficult to quickly differentiate between the standard food poisoning that we can all get vs. a norovirus infection. I prefer to let the quiet, non headline chasing health professionals at the MoH do their job and am confident that they will respond appropriately.