Health officials in 35 provinces on high A(H1N1) influenza alert as winter sets in

Thailand's Minister of Public Health Witthaya Kaewparadai

MAE HONG SON: -- Thailand's Minister of Public Health Witthaya Kaewparadai on Sunday placed health officials in 35 northern and northeastern provinces on high alert to respond to the second wave of the Influenza Type A(H1N1) as winter begins.

Mr Witthaya said as he delivered A(H1N1) control and prevention policies to health officials and volunteers in the northern province of Mae Hong Son.

He said the new virus strain is still spreading in Thailand and it is forecast that six million Thais have contracted and now are immune to the disease, while some 57 million remain at vulnerable.

As we are now entering the winter season, the cold weather encourages virus to grow and spread, combined with an increased number of Thai and foreign tourists in this high season, the minister said, there is a greater risk of the spread of the A(H1N1) pandemic.

Mr Witthaya said he has instructed health officials, particularly in 35 northern and northeastern provinces to be on high alert as winter has begun earlier and is expected to last longer, while urging local residents and tourists to follow A(H1N1) preventive measures as the disease can be easily contracted.

The minister said that every province is maintaining measures reduce the number of A(H1N1) patients and fatalities, and that 96 provincial hospitals have specialists on the new virus strain on standby at the hospital around the clock.

The Public Health Ministry earlier confirmed that the country had no fatalities related to A(H1N1) when it made its report last Wednesday, marking the first week in four months without a death from the A(H1N1).

The ministry also reported the number of fatalities from A(H1N1) stands at 184, with the total number of affected patients numbering some 29,000 people.

-- TNA 2009-11-15

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

Hopefully, it will handled as well as possible. The cooler weather could indeed make this time worse than the previous panic.

"He said the new virus strain is still spreading in Thailand and it is forecast that six million Thais have contracted and now are immune to the disease,..."

"The ministry also reported the number of fatalities from A(H1N1) stands at 184, with the total number of affected patients numbering some 29,000 people."

Apparently someone is not very good at math. I hope they do better fighting the disease.

"He said the new virus strain is still spreading in Thailand and it is forecast that six million Thais have contracted and now are immune to the disease,..."

"The ministry also reported the number of fatalities from A(H1N1) stands at 184, with the total number of affected patients numbering some 29,000 people."

Apparently someone is not very good at math. I hope they do better fighting the disease.

Those are the woefully low 'reported numbers' at 29K

Not all 'infected' had severe symptoms and many uniformed never reported to hospital.

This 6 mil. is an estimate based on probaility theories of infection rates,

with an acknowledged high level of inaccuracy, but even 15% off

is still quite a lot of human beings infected, but generally a logical ballpark for epidemiologists.

Authorities state that 184 people have died.More than that many died over the Song Kraan holiday.

Let's get this in perpective.

Health officials in 35 provinces on high A(H1N1) influenza alert as winter sets in

Winter? In the tropics?? So, is Thailand in U-rop now, same as Canada? Tell me, where can I go skiing in Thailand?

Edited November 16, 200916 yr by 7

Winter / cold season call it what you will. In the UK the cold season is called Winter yet in my home town it hardly ever snowed. My youngest sister (10 years my junior) first saw snow in my home town in her late teens, even then it hardly settled.

I have known Bangkok to get to 16C over December and frost is a fairly regular occurrence in the Northern regions. You will see Thai's dress in thick pullovers and jackets across the country.

Now its not exactly Arctic conditions, but it can still be a problem for the elderly, especially when the vast majority of their wardrobe and accommodation etc is prepared only for conditions of 29C +

Edited November 16, 200916 yr by quiksilva