Thai Health Experts Tell People To Avoid Public Places

[Thai at Heart]

Is there a website cataloguing the cities/regions of Thailand showing where and how many cases there are around the country.

I can find the total, but cannot find anything that states where in the country the cases actually are.

[Joe1241]

Closing these places would cause Panic and Hysteria. Argentina closed Shopping Malls there when the Swine Flu hit there. But I don't see why.

Movie Theaters in Thailand-Never Full to see a movie.

Isn't Liverpool FC supposed to come here on July 22nd? What are they gonna do about that? Do They think only sick people go to shopping malls? I would see loss of Tourism if you close a place like MBK or Siam Paragon.

I don't know if this is getting too much or if it is just hype.

Edited July 14, 2009 by Joe1241

[bolognamare]

Jeezus, are things that serious back there? Do I postpone my trip back to LOS in two weeks?

I'm not one to be easily alarmed, but what is going on there?

My best friends have just come back from 3 weeks in Bangkok+Phuket and they haven't felt any alarm, only some words without control around expats, but nothing more. I will fly in Bangkok next sunday and i will stay 4 weeks (Pattaya-Samui-Phuket). This flu is not lethal if you are not an old age person and Thailand is not more dangerous than other countries. Personally i think that a vacation in the land of smile can help health of humans not the opposite.

Less tourists=more females available!!!

Edited July 14, 2009 by bolognamare

[glen5034]

This situation is beginning to get very scary. I think the closing of places of entertainment should be seriously considered, also any other places where a large number of people gather in one confined space. Of course it begs the question, what about supermarkets, bars, restaurants, airports etc. I would not want to be the minister who activated closure of these places too, but if a two week closure would see the dramatic reduction of infections we are told would occur, and possibility a swifter end to this 36 month plague, we should bite the bullet and do it.

Of course there is the question of compensation for lost revenue. But should money speak louder than human lives? Again I would not want to be the minister making that decision either.

P&M

For goodness sake its a Flu Virus nothing more, More people will die in Thailand in a month because of RTA's Get real closing public places.

Davy

Man of the World

[norwayeagle]

utterly absurd mask mania. i wonder who is making all the money from the useless masks, which are more likely to be a vector with all the face touching involved. Washing hands would be more effective.

Hi you r right.Wash hands! But now there is a mask that is out,and that 1 do the job...http://www.filligent.net/public/index.php

,,,Whatever Wash hands

[norwayeagle]

http://www.filligent.net/public/index.php

[EnhancePlus]

Hi all, I am a new member of forum

Welcome aboard

[ricardofel]

WOW...I guess ONLY Bangkok has the virus...how lucky we are in the north (Chiang Mai) to not have to worry about schools closing (sic)! Washing hands is a deterrent to spreading any disease (colds, flu, diarrhea, etc).

But who has the ability to ash with the appropriate anti-bacterial soap....only RICH people or middle income.....definitely not the lower classes. The virus doesn't care if you are rich, poor, drive a Benz or a motorsai...if you're in the wrong place at the right time.......good luck to all.

[jonclark]

Let's put this in perspective -

WE'RE ALL GONE DIE

nuff said - can we move on please

[Junglejumbo]

Closing down public places....what does that mean? Stop using BTS? Don't go to work? Don't walk on the street?

As for parks like Lumpini in Bangkok isn't the fresh air good for you?

If we only stop going to entertainment places but still travel by the crowded mass transportation systems what's the point?

The sick people will be going to hospital so hospitals are the only thing that makes sense to avoid to me. It just isn't practical to stop all other forms of public mingling. The negative impact on the economy if the whole country shuts down will only deteriorate the well being of the people leading to greater chance of spread.

The death rate is 0.5% approximately. The virus could mutate and become worse or it could mutate and become even milder. Nobody knows.

Eat plenty of garlic, fresh fruit and take vitamins, try to sleep enough and live stress free.

[duceahearts]

I am reading a book on the 1918 flu the powers that be in that time frame had the same attitude that some of the posters have on this forum it's just the flu. Yes it was just the flu but it killed 100 million people world wide the United States Army lost the same number of men to the flu that died in Viet Nam 50,000 it was just the flu.

One of the main reasons it spread in the army was because of over crowded living quarters and the shipment of men from one camp to another but it was only the flu. Most of the deaths occured in the first 10 weeks.

A man got on a street car in South Africa by the time he got of 3 people had died from the flu. When the 1918 flu started it was not very lethal but in a short time it was the grim reaper cutting a swath of death thru the US, 650,00 died, and the rest of the world.

The problem is the word "flu" you associate that with having a cold, sneezing and a runny nose, the 1918 Spanish "flu" should have been called the 1918 Spanish "black death" that might have attracted a bit more attention, as already said by 1920 upto 100,000,000 people had died of this "flu", if this present outbreak mutates and comes back in the autumn/winter then buckle up.

[ijwelch]

Hi all, I am a new member of forum

Welcome to the nuthouse.

[Skajd]

Hi all, I am a new member of forum

and then?

[Skajd]

I am reading a book on the 1918 flu the powers that be in that time frame had the same attitude that some of the posters have on this forum it's just the flu. Yes it was just the flu but it killed 100 million people world wide the United States Army lost the same number of men to the flu that died in Viet Nam 50,000 it was just the flu.

One of the main reasons it spread in the army was because of over crowded living quarters and the shipment of men from one camp to another but it was only the flu. Most of the deaths occured in the first 10 weeks.

A man got on a street car in South Africa by the time he got of 3 people had died from the flu. When the 1918 flu started it was not very lethal but in a short time it was the grim reaper cutting a swath of death thru the US, 650,00 died, and the rest of the world.

The problem is the word "flu" you associate that with having a cold, sneezing and a runny nose, the 1918 Spanish "flu" should have been called the 1918 Spanish "black death" that might have attracted a bit more attention, as already said by 1920 upto 100,000,000 people had died of this "flu", if this present outbreak mutates and comes back in the autumn/winter then buckle up.

i mean what a stupid name for a killer disease. pigs might fly.

[popshirt]

And what does washing hands mean? For the few males I notice who "wash" their hands in public toilets it means simply running them under the water and shaking off the excess moisture. Of course there are no paper towels available. Soap may help but it is the SCRUBBING motion that removes the germs and bacteria. Even without soap, scrubbing of one hand against the other, back and front, and between the fingers is what is meant by hand washing in these circumstances.

[buddyholly1]

It is almost unbelievable that these so-called experts are totally divorced from reality : one does not have to be a epidemiologist (which I am) to understand that the request for Government "to tell people to avoid crowded places in order to slow down the increase in the H1N1 virus' fatality and infection rates" is patently rubbish , when one wonders how people will get to work, how children will get to school, how people will go to their markets??

What? close all factories, businesses, schools, transport systems. Switch all air conditioners. Close the Health centres and hospitals. Just in my little town with big schools the Sorng Theos arrive and leave with as many as 20 on a pickup, on the light truck as many as 40 children CRAMMED together.

Where do these idiots come from??? They might have read of Canute.

Don't call people idiots just because you are one yourself. Any sensible person would realise that the advice is to avoid crowded places whenever possible. Sensible advice.

[jfchandler]

I've been reading the back and forth comment here about face masks with some interest...and so did some research on my own as well.

Someone above said there was an article in the NY Times that said face masks were useless for this flu. I didn't find such an article, but a did find a NY Times piece that said the higher grade N-95 type masks are believed to filter out about 98% of the very small particles like those carrying the virus, whereas the typical face masks are believed to filter out about 62% of such particles.

In either case, in the current environment, it seems to me that doing something to help protect yourself (along with all the other common-sense recommendations about frequent hand washing, avoiding crowds, avoiding touching your eyes, nose, mouth, etc.) is better than doing nothing. And wearing a simple face mask, while not as good as an N-95 mask, is better than nothing.

I wore an N-95 mask on a 16-hour BKK to Los Angeles flight back in June, and found it somewhat uncomfortable to wear for long periods (although I did wear it for the entire flight). But for short periods such as when on the crowded BTS SkyTrain and such, why not? Wearing such masks certainly help protect other people from you (which is a polite thing to do), and well as certainly will have some effect (however small or large) in protecting you from others who may be ill.

Likewise, someone above posted a link to the U.S. CDC web site with guidelines for masks, adding their own comment that masks would be useless in preventing the spread of the flu. In reading the CDC site, they actually said there's very little data to clearly say how effective masks would be against this particular virus. And they recommended masks for some people in some settings, and didn't recommend them generally for the general public. That notwithstanding, I certainly don't see any harm in wearing one nonetheless.

I know the symptoms of this flu, at present, are not that bad and the mortality rate at present is not that high. But frankly, if I can avoid getting sick with the flu, I'd prefer to avoid it. And it seems only common sense for everyone to take common sense, easily accomplished measures to help slow the spread of the flu, for all the obvious reasons.

[jfchandler]

July 13, 2009

Federal health officials prepare for fall influenza season

Federal health officials have earmarked $850 million to purchase additional supplies of two key ingredients for a potential H1N1 vaccine and are expecting $350 million in preparedness grants to help them fight the pandemic H1N1 virus, according to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.

Sebelius addressed a group of government and health leaders at a pandemic preparedness summit this week.

She said that although planning to combat the spread of the virus could be scaled back later, delaying preparations is not an option.

“Over the course of coming weeks and months, we will move aggressively to prepare the nation for the possibility of a more severe outbreak of the H1N1 virus,” Sebelius said in a press release. She added that preparedness for a more severe outbreak is a responsibility “we all share.” She urged state and local health officials, including school districts, to prepare for a vaccination campaign in the fall.

Different vaccine manufacturers speaking at the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices Meeting last month said that a vaccine may be ready by early fall.

The $884 million in vaccine funds will be used to place additional orders for bulk H1N1 antigen and adjuvant on existing contracts with Sanofi Pasteur, MedImmune, GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis. The vaccine ingredients will become a part of the pandemic stockpile, for use if a vaccination campaign is necessary, Sebelius said.

A vaccine may play more of an important role in the fight against this virus, as WHO officials are now reporting cases of oseltamivir–resistant virus.

WHO officials reported yesterday they have been notified health authorities in Denmark, Japan and Hong Kong of the appearance of H1N1 viruses that are resistant to the antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) based on laboratory testing.

These viruses were found in three patients who did not have severe disease and all have recovered, WHO officials said. Investigations have not found the resistant virus in the close contacts of these three people. The viruses, while resistant to oseltamivir, remain sensitive to zanamivir.

There are close to 34,000 confirmed and probable cases of the H1N1 virus in the United States, with 170 deaths, according to CDC estimates. WHO officials report that there have been more than 98,000 cases documented worldwide.

Source: Infectious Disease News

[katana]

Reminds me of the 1976 swine flu outbreak in the US. Apparently forty million US citizens were vaccinated, generating a lot of money for the pharmaceutical manufacturers, but an unfortunate side effect of the vaccine was 500 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), resulting in death from severe pulmonary complications for 25 people. Apparently the vaccine killed more people than the flu did.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swine_influen...6_U.S._outbreak

[Bagwain]

The END is NI (hehehe)

[lounger]

avoid crowded places whenever possible. Sensible advice.

Is it?

A UK virologist said we should have pig flu parties; meaning we should all opt to catch it as soon as possible. If you cannot get immunisation catching the current strain will be far preferable to the mutated version that is due to materialise later..... That one will more than likely kill you

Get flu and build your immunity

see you at the bar...

[tracer]

The new flu is a real threat because its death toll here is the highest in Asia and the sixth highest in the world.

The government should also be cautious about the use of antiviral vaccine for the H1N1 flu, he said.

"Any rush may bring unwanted deaths and paralysis," he said.

A QUESTION:

That flue seems to have been here for already a long time. I have 2 daughters in Songkla univerisity in Phuket and they BOTH got sick. No idea what flue it was but it was a real headache to take them to a goverment hospital! In my opinion they should have a doctor just for flue patients and it doesnt even have to be somebody with a lot of experience.

Just a hospital where one can go and where they do KNOW what to do with blood they get.. Ie find out if its swineflue or not!

Also I donot see if closedown for 2 weeks is recommended that they then have places closing down for 4 days.......

Just a reminder, if the doctor doesnt take a bloodsample he has no way to see what flue you have...

Also I was 'a bit' surprised that the Asian meeting went ahead as I can see the good-will acumulating if 50% of the invited guests get sick!

[smokie36]

Closing down public places....what does that mean? Stop using BTS? Don't go to work? Don't walk on the street?

As for parks like Lumpini in Bangkok isn't the fresh air good for you?

If we only stop going to entertainment places but still travel by the crowded mass transportation systems what's the point?

The sick people will be going to hospital so hospitals are the only thing that makes sense to avoid to me. It just isn't practical to stop all other forms of public mingling. The negative impact on the economy if the whole country shuts down will only deteriorate the well being of the people leading to greater chance of spread.

The death rate is 0.5% approximately. The virus could mutate and become worse or it could mutate and become even milder. Nobody knows.

Eat plenty of garlic, fresh fruit and take vitamins, try to sleep enough and live stress free.

Lots of raw garlic then no one will want to breathe the same air as you

Great idea!

Edited July 14, 2009 by smokie36

[erobando]

Is it?

A UK virologist said we should have pig flu parties; meaning we should all opt to catch it as soon as possible. If you cannot get immunisation catching the current strain will be far preferable to the mutated version that is due to materialise later..... That one will more than likely kill you

Get flu and build your immunity

see you at the bar...

Mutations aren't directional.

It's possible but not very likely that this virus will mutate into something more deadly.

Hand washing seems to be sensible advice in any time, swine attacks or not.

Some of the other news related to this disease seems a bit sensational.

IMO there are other health-and-safety campaigns that Thailand could use as well:

- Mosquito nets and window screens: Most people I know here tend to be pretty cavalier regarding mosquitoes. Even when their house is screened in, they open the screens!

- Seat belts: Yes, seat belts are required in the front seat in Bangkok but people just unhook them when they leave BKK. And few wear them in the back seat.

- Refrigeration of food: People leave food out overnight because they feel refrigerators ruin the taste. IMO Thailand could cut down a lot on it's food poisoning cases by refrigeration.

Other threats will kill and hospitalize as many as the H1N1(A) swiner.

It will be good if this current scare leads to general attention to safety and hygiene but I doubt it will happen.

[smokie36]

And what does washing hands mean? For the few males I notice who "wash" their hands in public toilets it means simply running them under the water and shaking off the excess moisture. Of course there are no paper towels available. Soap may help but it is the SCRUBBING motion that removes the germs and bacteria. Even without soap, scrubbing of one hand against the other, back and front, and between the fingers is what is meant by hand washing in these circumstances.

Making sure you wash all areas of your hands is important but its the length of time the soap is actually in contact with your skin in order to kill the bacteria which is more important.

Two or three minutes if you're really that worried about it.

[harrry]

http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publicati...nityrevised.pdf

THis link may help those who are confused if masks work or not.

The link below contains the WHO advice on hand washing and other flu related matters for individuals.

Edited July 14, 2009 by harrry

[Grey11]

The following makes you wonder how they came up with the name Swine Flu?

"Virologists tested samples of the virus taken from patients in the United States as well as several seasonal flu viruses on mice, ferrets, macaque monkeys and specially-bred miniature pigs.

They found that A(H1N1) caused more severe lung lesions among mice, ferrets and macaques than the seasonal flu viruses.

But it did not cause any symptoms among the mini-pigs, which could explain why there has been no evidence that pigs in Mexico fell sick with the disease before the outbreak began among humans."

Perhaps the reason for calling the disease the "swine flu" is because the first case of the flu was traced back to a rural village in Central Mexico which was near a large pig farm which consisted of many buildings housing them. The home of this first person to contact the virus was across from a waste pond of the pig operation. I saw this on television once the Mexican government traced what they still believe was the first case of the swine flu to the small village, home & pig farm.

[isanb]

This flu phobia is quite ridicolous. As much as people who, drinking 10 beers per day, smoking 2 packs of cigarettes, riding bikes with no helmet, and F^^^g thai girls with no condoms seem to be worried for a flu that so far caused less dead that coconuts falling.

Yeap, but i'm the father of a 7 month baby girl and a 2 years old boy. To feed them i have to go work every days. If i catch this shit i don't care but i care for my children. Do you think i'm "ridicolous".

[ding]

Closing public venus will be less expensive than a Swine Flu mass epidemic.

No vaccine until November??? hmmmm

Edited July 14, 2009 by ding

[jfchandler]

Harrry, thanks for posting this... It's good, useful, practical advice... much better than the comparable U.S. CDC site.

http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publicati...nityrevised.pdf

THis link may help those who are confused if masks work or not.

The link below contains the WHO advice on hand washing and other flu related matters for individuals.