435 Bangkok Schools To Close July 15-19

[george]

435 Bangkok schools closed July 15-19

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has ordered closed all of its 435 schools, 200 nurseries and 13 occupational training centres for five days from July 15 to 19 to prevent the spread of the A/H1N1 flu.

M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra, the BMA governor, said after a meeting of the city administrators on Tuesday that the BMA will concentrate on campaigning for the people to wear a protective mask, especially at a crowded place.

The BMA will distribute 2 million masks to the people at various crowded locations such as at the BTS electric train stations and Hua Lampong railway station. Bangkok MPs and city councillors will be asked to distribute 10,000 masks each to the people in their constituencies, he said.

Billboards to campaign for the peple to wear a mask and wash their hands will be put up at various corners of the city starting Tuesday. All community radios will also be asked to join the campaign.

The BMA also plans to close all of its school on Aug 10-11 to allow officials concerned to conduct a major clean up of the schools five days from August 8 to 12. However, this can be changed if the cabinet makes a resolution for schools to close for a clean up before this period.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-07-14

[george]

All BMA schools will be closed 5 days starting Wednesday

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced Tuesday that its 435 schools and 200 nurseries will be closed from Wednesday and reopened next Monday following the outbreak of the type-A (H1N1) influenza.

BMA city clerk Pongsak Semsan said officials will also clean the schools and spray disinfectants during the extra five-day holidays.

-- The Nation 2009-07-14

[dukkha]

Am not an epidemiologist, but wonder the effectiveness of closing schools for 5 days.... Dukkha

[londonthai]

great, wil see my grandaughter more, while in holidays in bangkok.

she is doing great at school, doesn't need it that much - but it's not the case for the majority of kids

[Thanh-BKK]

Hi.

Stupid question. But what's all this "washing hands" do to a virus that is spread exclusively through the air, i.e. via coughing and sneezing..?? And i highly doubt that those silly masks have any effect on this virus. They can't even hold Diesel soot out, i've tried it.

Best regards.....

Thanh

[mysterybkk]

does this apply to universities as well or only schools?

[kiwiman12]

Shame the Thai Government didn't spent more time and energy sorting out the road toll !!!!!

[yllorco]

Why are they in a panic? Those who died have their previous diseases other than H1N1.

There are more deaths with other diseases in other countries, such as dengue fever.

[norwayeagle]

As long as there is no Good Facemask available in Thailand yet,Wash hands wash hands.stay away from crowds

[tourleadersi]

Why are they in a panic? Those who died have their previous diseases other than H1N1.

There are more deaths with other diseases in other countries, such as dengue fever.

The main concern about this one is the kill ratio that it currently appears to have. Common Flu is far more widespread for the moment, and therefore appears to kill a lot more, and like Dengue fever therefore appears to be of greater concern. The thing is that it seems that more people that catch this one are dying (some stats have it as high as 5% whilst common flu is below 1%). Therefore preventing the spread (or attempting too) is a rational step. The WHO are saying that its too late to prevent it though, so it does seem like this is a reaction after the horse has not only bolted, but has made it to the next field, mated, raised a championship winning foal and is now off to glue factory.

[gunnyd]

Hi.

Stupid question. But what's all this "washing hands" do to a virus that is spread exclusively through the air, i.e. via coughing and sneezing..?? And i highly doubt that those silly masks have any effect on this virus. They can't even hold Diesel soot out, i've tried it.

Best regards.....

Thanh

These are the kinds of masks needed and I seriouly doubt that they will spend the money to buy them. N-95 masks $13 (450 baht) to $120 (4000 Baht) each

Q. Can those face masks really protect me from swine flu?

A. Yes and no.

The blue surgical masks you've seen being passed out to Mexican pedestrians are better than nothing but probably only marginally useful, said Andrew Pekosz, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.

While such masks block the relatively large, virus-carrying droplets sneezed out by infected people, the viruses themselves are much smaller and could easily pass through. Specialty masks, designated N-95 or N-99, are better filters but still not perfect.

For better protection, Pekosz recommends combining a mask with regular hand washing and keeping 3 to 4 feet (90 to 120 centimeters) away from other people. -National Geographic Online

They are striving for the appearance that they are doing something. Closing schools is a publicity stunt, it will accomplish nothing. Proper hygiene and medical surveillance would be a better course.

[heron]

Stupid question. But what's all this 'washing hands' do to a virus that is spread exclusively through the air, i.e. via coughing and sneezing..?? And i highly doubt that those silly masks have any effect on this virus.

The effectiveness of the masks depends on the model used, but mostly on the actual handling of it. The outside of the mask is potentially contaminated, so you shouldn't touch it, and if you do, wash your hands before touching eyes, mouth, or nose (that's also why washing hands frequently makes sense). If you're already (potentially) infected then wearing the mask protects others because it limits your ability to spread germs. The transmission paths are apparently not yet fully understood, it might spread airborne, but it definitely spreads through touching contaminated surfaces.

For more info, the wikipedia page is pretty exhaustive:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_flu_pandemic

[HardenedSoul]

Ah the power of fear . . . don't you just love it ?

[slim]

Hi.

Stupid question. But what's all this "washing hands" do to a virus that is spread exclusively through the air, i.e. via coughing and sneezing..?? And i highly doubt that those silly masks have any effect on this virus. They can't even hold Diesel soot out, i've tried it.

Best regards.....

Thanh

No - its spread through contact as well. It can survive in the open (on door handles for example) for hours so washing hands is critical to limit the spread.

[webfact]

...and the game shops/internet cafes will become overcrowded by tomorrow. Good business ahead!

Or were they ordered to close concurrently?

Edited July 14, 2009 by webfact

[lensta]

Hi.

Stupid question. But what's all this "washing hands" do to a virus that is spread exclusively through the air, i.e. via coughing and sneezing..?? And i highly doubt that those silly masks have any effect on this virus. They can't even hold Diesel soot out, i've tried it.

Best regards.....

Thanh

Agreed, those face masks are just a way for the government to look as though it is doing something and that it cares about the people. They do nothing

to stop the spread of a virus. They are about as useful as wearing a raincoat to stop radiation poisoning.

[gunnyd]

Back here in the US the swine flu is all but forgotten. Nobody running around wearing masks. And we border Mexico where is started.

Cases in border states:

Texas - 900 cases, 3 deaths

California - 553 cases

Arizona - 520 cases, 2 deaths

New Mexico - 97 cases

United States total - 6,552 cases, 9 deaths

Hysteria in the only pandemic going on here. The 1976 Swine Flu vaccine killed 25 US whereas the Swine Flu only claimed 1 life.

[norwayeagle]

http://www.filligent.net/public/index.php This 1 is serious to help the world.its in another post 2 in here,but i put it in here as well.

[onnut]

so the fathers are working in office blocks the mothers are working in supermarkets and can both bring this flu home and pass on to the children anyway. I have a funny feeling they may try to shut Thailand down for a few days. panic panic panic

where will this end?

[deeveloper]

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/searc...opaganda_webcam

In the 70's.. swine flu vaccines did more damage than the outbreak.

Edited July 14, 2009 by deeveloper

[ignis]

Why are they in a panic? Those who died have their previous diseases other than H1N1.

As there is over 100 people a day seeing the Dr and confirming they have this flu, yesterday over 4,000 people in Thailand have this and it appears that recently people per day are dying per TV there has been 13 people since last Thursday, so 13 more dead in 4 days

[baht&sold]

Many Thais can be forgiven for getting hysterical over swine-flu, particularly after a 2 week campaign by Puea Thai spokesmen and MP's cynically fanning the flames of flu-fear for pure political opportunism. This culminated in the reds 'helpfully' surrounding hospitals and scaring patients in the N/NE when the Health Minister was visiting. This, along with calls by some Chulalongkorn docs/quacks to 'close the borders' (?!) has all ratcheted up a hysteria-driven public outcry for the Govt to take stricter measures.

PM Abhisit wisely REFUSED to close borders of course. However, one presumes this would be Puea Thai's response??? It's unfortunate the Govt has been forced to spend valuable time and resources placating the public as fear has been cynically whipped up, instead of concentrating 100% on those in higher-risk groups (especially those with pre-existing medical conditions).

Closing schools will perhaps placate some but expect shopping malls and other teen hang-outs to absolutely swell with hand-holding, nose tweaking, food-sharing teens (not that it makes much difference with the REALITY of fatalities being lower than even seasonal flu and the FACT swine-flu can NOT be contained anyways).

The UK came out last week and admitted it's IMPOSSIBLE to STOP the spread of swine-flu, thus they would instead concentrate resources on those in higher risk groups. This is a prudent course. Still, some who are healthy want their hands to be held and illogical re-assurance they are 'protected' (fine, but this drain on Govt resources to placate adult babies comes at the expense of those who ARE ill, or more likely to be at risk...)

To those in the Expat community who SHOULD be better informed but are still wanting their hands held by any Govt (a waste of limited valuable resources), please GET INFORMED and STOP being a drain on resources which are needed elsewhere.

Last, some local media and websites appear to be cynically 'cashing in' on flu-fear ratings sweepstakes and it's getting a bit pathetic.

[alant]

schools first, then what if the incidence does not decline? close more and more things until everything is closed?

[Hawkinschris]

Catch It, Bin It, Kill It!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsbO-YmE4qY

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandsta...dance/DH_080839

[Crushdepth]

Stupid question. But what's all this "washing hands" do to a virus that is spread exclusively through the air, i.e. via coughing and sneezing..?? And i highly doubt that those silly masks have any effect on this virus. They can't even hold Diesel soot out, i've tried it.

I've seen a few studies showing that regular hand washing does significantly reduce your risk of getting the flu. I'm not sure how much good a mask will do since at least some flu viruses can get in through your eyes anyway. And in a horrendously crowded place like Bangkok I'm not sure that you can really hope to avoid exposure.

I don't know why there is so much fuss though, in terms of nocking people off this virus doesn't seem any worse than 'normal' ones. It's just got a lot more publicity and media hype.

[stub]

The main concern about this one is the kill ratio that it currently appears to have. Common Flu is far more widespread for the moment, and therefore appears to kill a lot more, and like Dengue fever therefore appears to be of greater concern. The thing is that it seems that more people that catch this one are dying (some stats have it as high as 5% whilst common flu is below 1%). Therefore preventing the spread (or attempting too) is a rational step. The WHO are saying that its too late to prevent it though, so it does seem like this is a reaction after the horse has not only bolted, but has made it to the next field, mated, raised a championship winning foal and is now off to glue factory.

Those stats are out of date. Current stats, such as found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_flu_pandemic, show the mortality rate below 1% even when just considering those people who tested positive (not considering the millions who never got tested, or even realized they where infected). Current fear mongering outside of Thailand is focused on the what-if scenario of it mutating in a bad way.

[losworld]

Just wear a full diving suit with oxygen tank. Works great for Nana plaza.

[brianbiegler]

""Closing schools will perhaps placate some but expect shopping malls and other teen hang-outs to absolutely swell with hand-holding, nose tweaking, food-sharing teens""

you took the words right out of my mouth...

instead of packing in the classrooms, they will pack in the internet gamerooms and mega-mall food courts.. .

[steady]

In the UK, and I suppose other countries, it was stressed that washing hands WITH soap was effective. I haven't seen much soap in wash rooms in shops, bus stations etc out here. So is just putting hands under running water any use?

[animatic]

Hi.

Stupid question. But what's all this "washing hands" do to a virus that is spread exclusively through the air, i.e. via coughing and sneezing..?? And i highly doubt that those silly masks have any effect on this virus. They can't even hold Diesel soot out, i've tried it.

Best regards.....

Thanh

Thanh the virus also spreads via fluid's contact even easier.

People cough in your face here, but also in their hands,

touch their mouths with fingers while eating etc.

If they then touch something and you touch it,

then your eyes nose of mouth, it can be passed on then too.

I have been through 4 air flights this week, and with one coughing, masked, taxi driver from Pattaya,

no sign of any symptoms I didn't have before I left.