Not Necessary To Close The Borders, Yet

[anon467367354]

maybe this would be a good time to take a look at the hygiene practices in this country. Maybe nose-picking shouldn't be so acceptable, maybe community towels in rest rooms isn't such a good idea after all. Soap should be mandatory in public restrooms as well as in schools. I just love the community drinking cups at the public watering holes. I followed a restaurant worker into the restaurant she was working in to ask why she didn't wash her hands after she came out of the toilet stall. I think it time to enlighten the masses, to wash their hands after wiping their asses.

[esprit]

OMG, sometimes the xenophobia here is astounding. The virus is HERE already. Closing the borders is absurd unless Thailand wants to protect OTHER COUNTRIES. The cat is out of the bag. You can kind of see where this is going. If this gets really bad here, guess who is going to be BLAMED for it?

Of course they must blame somebody else, they always do !!

[robint]

I see they have found another creative way to kill off tourism, well done

Panic, dont panic captain mannering, hardly the locals, they cant see beyond the edge of todays rice bowl and care even less.

Yes shut the borders, the flangs are trying to poison poor thai people with their horrible disease

oh and btw they have spoil our economy, its their fault (course there might be some truth in that

[Scott]

The problem of panic is, in part, because the gov't has censored information and only allows the Public Health Ministry to speak (apparently that didn't extend to Doctors at Chula). A great deal of people have been walking around with little knowledge of the flu and how it is caught. Likewise, people don't understand how to prevent it.

We now know that internet cafes are a target as are tutorial schools. This is understandable, but again how do these places differ from shopping malls?

Of course most people who die of the flu will have other medical conditions--not all of which are pre-existing. They get the flu, this is further complicated by pneumonia or bronchitis etc. Secondary infections are always a potential problem with illnessess.

The fact that after weeks and weeks of problems with the flu, suddenly it's getting attention. I wonder why? I wonder what they know or suspect that isn't being said.

The more information out there, the less the panic.

[christcourt]

I just came back from the UK. On the news there they were saying that they've given up trying to control it and expect 100,000 people a day to come down with the virus soon. As it stands now, however, it is just like regular flu- no more or less lethal.

Of course opinions may chance once everyone who thought they had recovered turns into a brain-eating zombie.

What!! I'm not a zombie!! well not yet anyway. If they close the borders ie the airports, I'll turn into one for sure trying to get home in Sakon Nakhon. What next an "Army Curfew"

[LordDude]

I spent 5 hours at Siriraj Hospital last Sunday. It seemed that everybody there had the flu except me. I didn't wear a mask, didn't hide, and didn't get sick. The flu goes around every year. What bothers me is the stupid Bangkok Post. Announcing another swine flu death, when the people they are talking about died of cancer during brain surgery, or kidney failure from years of drinking and partying. The weak die from the flu every year, it isn't because of it being the swine flu. Pandemic doesn't mean epidemic. Pandemic hype to epidemic proportions. paw leaow!

I gotta agree with you there 100%. I've had the swine flu and it wasn't much worse than a really bad cold and it came nowhere close to being as bad as a dose of regular flu (if there is such a thing) that I got about 10 years ago. This is a moderate virus by all accounts and unlikely to be of serious consequence to anyone in a reasonable state of health. The vulnerable die every day from diseases that the rest of us shake off easily, so it's high time the media quit blowing this thing out of proportion and causing unnecessary panic among the masses.

[Pui]

Why don't they just sweep it under the carpet like they do with that other virus beginning with H

[MyphuketLife]

I gotta agree with you there 100%. I've had the swine flu and it wasn't much worse than a really bad cold and it came nowhere close to being as bad as a dose of regular flu (if there is such a thing) that I got about 10 years ago. This is a moderate virus by all accounts and unlikely to be of serious consequence to anyone in a reasonable state of health. The vulnerable die every day from diseases that the rest of us shake off easily, so it's high time the media quit blowing this thing out of proportion and causing unnecessary panic among the masses.

Its your fault... you are the cause

Joking aside the media from day one in all countries have blown this way out of proportion, the panic is good for their sales/ratings.

More people die every year from the common cold, but swine flu is going to ruin us all I tell you ~

[Acharn]

And of course Chulalongkorn doctors represent the Thai elite. Egads!

They do actually. Chulalongkorn doctors are some of the best I've dealt with.

Lots of people in the U.S. said to close the border with Mexico when the first bout of swine flu broke out. Why should we badmouth Thailand because some doctors advocate a similar policy.

Because the flu is already here to stay.. but don't worry crossing the street is more dangerous in Thailand...

Heck, crossing the sidewalk is more dangerous! "You know you've lived in Bangkok too long when you look both ways before crossing the sidewalk."

[BigBikeBKK]

Yawn- much ado about nothing. Amazing what passes for 'journalism' these days...

Party On!

Edited July 8, 2009 by BigBikeBKK

[Pierrot]

WHO warns swine flu 'unstoppable'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8130196.stm

Don't these people read the news some time ?

In the mean time, in the UK they organize "flu parties" :

Reports have emerged of people intentionally mixing with friends who have flu. Their reasoning is that it is best to be infected before the winter when the virus could become more deadly.

"I don't think it is a good idea" says Dr Jarvis, chairman of the British Medical Association's public health committee.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8125191.stm

Edited July 8, 2009 by Pierrot

[Old Man River]

Is he saying all tourists in side Thailand will be not able to leave

What are they trying to do

Not only kill the tourist industry

But wipe ourt all memories it ever existed

No, he (the PM) is saying just the opposite. Read the article again.

[fred007]

Re closing borders.Is the Thai Government living in wally world like must other issues.Its beyond comical to say the least

[lor]

Just like Thailand, Set up a committee to look after the very sick!

Sure, who thought that one up? Give the Committee 10 Million Baht budget and about 500 baht may get through to the ill people.

Chris

[azado]

Neither the USA or Mexico closed their borders.

I think that it would have a draconian effect on tourism and those who hold jobs associated with tourism,there would be no "High Season" and dramatically reduce bookings that are being made for 2010

What do ya mean no high season. There is no high season, there will be be no high season and it's unlikely there will be another high season.

When you got your head in the sand what does a high season look like

True never been a high season for long time but at least now we can call it H1N1 season

[peecee]

There alway's are lot's of scare stories appended to any desease outbreak nowaday's, the world is a global entaprise and no amount of isolationism will stop epidemics spreading. The government may think that closing it's borders will help but that will mean cesation of it's export's and ecenomic desaster! Anyway as has been reiterated many times, unless you are prity sick with respiritory or cardiac problem's most of us, many more than normal flu(!) will come thru' unscathed.

On a lighter note I wonder if the PM has got the yellow's ready for a quick shutdown of the port's as he will have to act very fast and his plod's aren't quick enough, there's no cash in it!

[poldebol]

One: infected people are spreading the virus before they develop symptoms. That means closing the border will not stop the virus from spreading in Thailand since it is already in the country.

May I remind that in the begining of the Aids-scare, a Thai minister told the international press that there was no Aids in Thailand and if there was, the farang were to blame. I hope some people even remember that at the height of the avian flu, the Thai topman of the Thai WHO chapter suggested to keep all farang as hostages untill their governments paid the money to buy medicines for Thailand (the US was the only country to protest, so the US farang were quickly exempted).

Maybe the doctors who are suggesting to seal the borders could do some research into the social pscychology of the Thai attitude towards farang.

Two: wearing a mouthmask as seen in the streets nowadays has no effect whatever for the wearer of the mask. It reduces the risk of the wearer spreading the virus with a very minimal factor. The only advantage of the paper mask is the psychological effect. The only effective masks are of a much higher category.

The only measures that can be taken: avoid mass meetings especially indoors (shopping malls, movie theatres, markets). Wash your hands many many times, do not touch your face (esp. mouth and nose). Do not handle money when not necessary. Coins and bank notes are extremely dirty. In a SCB branch I saw a desinfecting gel on the counter for the customers . I thought that was a simple and good idea.

Now that I am at it. During the avian flu, I discovered a number of dead pigeons in a public park in a town, 20 km from a place where avian flu was found the day before. I went to the police station and was extremely praised by the policemen for my sense of civic responsibility. In the morning I went back to the park and just saw people from the garbage collection picking up the dead pigeons (they had no protective gloves our suits) and throwing them in the dumpster truck.

And I will not tell what I saw at the Thai-MyanMar border during the Sars epidemic. That is for my memoirs.

[tranquillize]

Closing the borders would keep new strains of the virus from coming in, but once they open the borders again people will continue to bring in the regular flu, which takes many more lives. Border closing is not a viable option unless this is a pandemic.

[cyborg22]

Closing the borders would keep new strains of the virus from coming in, but once they open the borders again people will continue to bring in the regular flu, which takes many more lives. Border closing is not a viable option unless this is a pandemic.

Funny i thought this was a pandemic, is that not what level 6 is?

[antony77]

Neither the USA or Mexico closed their borders.

I think that it would have a draconian effect on tourism and those who hold jobs associated with tourism,there would be no "High Season" and dramatically reduce bookings that are being made for 2010

In the long run tourism does more harm than good. Many of The Thais working in the tourist industry were doing the jobs

that Burmese workers are now doing in Thailand. Sir Edmund Hillary said the same thing about Nepal. And many other countries have come to the same conclusion. Only where tourism is properfly controled deos it have a posittve effect.

[ukrules]

Lots of people in the U.S. said to close the border with Mexico when the first bout of swine flu broke out. Why should we badmouth Thailand because some doctors advocate a similar policy.

Closing borders makes NO SENSE once the virus is widespread in a country. I do fault the Thai doctors for this absurd idea. Also, I don't recall any elite US doctors or the CDC ever suggesting the US border be closed. Yes, there are always Mexican-phobic redneck types eager to demonize foreigners. I am talking about educated scientific elites. Yes there are stupid xenophobes in all cultures but one hopes that a country's elites are not like that. Sadly, some countries are like that. Frankly, I am more worried about the political fallout from this than the flu itself.

Whatever they do now will make almost no difference. From what I've been reading recently Thai people are popping up in India and the Middle East with swine flu cases in places where it hasn't been found before. It's almost irrelevant though as it will find it's way everywhere given enough time.

[fxe1200]

Perhaps the drink-driving death numbers from the Songkran holiday will always be more deadly than this flu. Although now that it's mutating into treatment resistant versions of itself, who knows.

Amen, and how about enforcing the traffic laws? How many lives would that save? In many places the double lines have been worn out from vehicles crossing them.

Big deal, a couple of death by the H1N1 Virus. And nobody cares about the death toll on the streets of Thailand. According to the TARC (Thailand Accident Research Center) there are about 13000 being killed on the site of the accident per year, not counting those who die on the way to or at the hospital thereafter, the estimation is about another 5000 deaths. This obvious fact should be given top priority throughout the newspapers and be the number one policy for the government to deal with.

Guarantee: When the H1N1 flu is being dealt with sucessfully, we will have another 6000 horrendous losses on the streets of Thailand.

[cyborg22]

In the long run tourism does more harm than good. Many of The Thais working in the tourist industry were doing the jobs

that Burmese workers are now doing in Thailand. Sir Edmund Hillary said the same thing about Nepal. And many other countries have come to the same conclusion. Only where tourism is properfly controled deos it have a posittve effect.

How do you come to that conclusion?

In the long run lack of tourism would be the death of any country that relies on it as Thailand does.

How on earth do you control tourism?

[cyborg22]

Re closing borders.Is the Thai Government living in wally world like must other issues.Its beyond comical to say the least

Read the op again carefully this time.

The thai government is against closing the borders at this time

[seri thai]

Neither the USA or Mexico closed their borders.

I think that it would have a draconian effect on tourism and those who hold jobs associated with tourism,there would be no "High Season" and dramatically reduce bookings that are being made for 2010

In the long run tourism does more harm than good. Many of The Thais working in the tourist industry were doing the jobs

that Burmese workers are now doing in Thailand. Sir Edmund Hillary said the same thing about Nepal. And many other countries have come to the same conclusion. Only where tourism is properfly controled deos it have a posittve effect.

.....and interestingly a lot of the "Burmese" people working in Thailand identify themselves as Nepalese refugees from Burma so only where immigration is controlled does it have a positive effect!

Chaiyo!!

[Rachawadee]

'Closing the barn door after the horses have left' sounds about like it now.

Sorry. We Thais love to shoot ourselves on the foot from time to time. It also comes with the ever changing policies that our government likes to implement when they have nothing else to do. I wonder who thinks up this brilliant ideas. They seem to be using the "coin toss" method to make decisions like this. On the brighter side, at least the lowly satang still has it's uses.

[cmdream]

Re closing borders.Is the Thai Government living in wally world like must other issues.Its beyond comical to say the least

. It could be comical but closing the airports would affect many peoples travel plans, not comical if you are traveling. Just think of countries closing around the world without notice. You could be stranded in a country that you do not like ! Is this a power grab by the WHO ? They have the worlds attention.

What is going on ? Is H1N1 a real threat to wipe out life world wide ?

Just for fun, who gives a <deleted> ?

[MikeWill]

Maybe, at least, they should cancel the free visa scheme for now.

[Sisaketmike]

PM: Not necessary to seal country

BANGKOK: -- It is not yet necessary to seal the country to control the spread of H1N1 flu, as recomnmended by Chulalongkorn Hospital doctors, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Wednesday.

However, the matter will be raised on Thursday when the cabinet meeting will consider further action such as closures of tuition schools and internet shops from which the flu was said to have spread.

The Public Health Ministry on Wednesday reported 290 addition cases of H1N1 flu, bringing up the total to 2,718 with 11 deaths.

Mr Abhisit said the government will try to keep close watch on those infected to prevent more deaths.

A committee had been set up especially to take care of four flu patients who were seriously sick, he added.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-07-08

Dear Prime Minister,

Do you really think that it would be helpful to seal the country? Even if such well known doctors might think it would help? Seal the tourism, and a lot of people will have to go back to the North east. My idea: free lao Khao for all.

[asiasurfer]

Seal what???

Certainly some holes should be sealed ! But closing the country’s border is just an absolutely ridiculous idea in this economic climate.