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Smoke-Bound South Gets 60,000 Facemasks: Thailand


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Smoke-bound South gets 60,000 facemasks

The Nation

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BANGKOK: -- Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri yesterday said 60,000 facemasks had been sent to Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat to help protect vulnerable people from smoke inhalation following forest fires on Indonesia's Sumatra Island that have shrouded the five southern provinces in smoke.

A consignment of 50,000 other facemasks were being kept as back-up at the Disease Control Department because the situation would likely linger, he added.

After fear that residents' health may be threatened, Witthaya instructed local hospitals to prepare medical supplies and be on alert for signs of smoke inhalation, especially among those with heart disease or respiratory ailments, elderly persons and children.

Songkhla's Disease Control and Prevention Office 12 will distribute 12,000 facemasks in each of the five provinces, though office director Suwich Thampaolo reported that the fine-particle dust level in the five provinces had so far remained within safe limits. He said that cases of respiratory ailments had not yet risen; there were about 50-100 respiratory patients per day at each hospital, which was a normal rate.

The dense smoke and subsequent poor visibility in the lower Gulf of Thailand has left hundreds of Songkhla-based boats confined to port, where they are expected to remain for another one or two days while the smoke clears. The Songkhla Fishery Association said the halt to fishing hadn't affected fish supplies to markets and factories in the area because of surpluses from the previous catch.

A source said the number of Sumatra forest fires had decreased from 202 outbreaks to 107, but the southwest monsoon covering the Andaman, Southern Thailand and the Gulf of Thailand remained strong, with breezes pushing smoke over lower Southern Thailand.

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-- The Nation 2012-07-03

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60,000 health masks sent to smog-affected southern residents

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BANGKOK, July 3 – Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health has distributed some 60,000 health masks to local residents in five southern provinces as smog from Indonesian forest fires has blanketed the region.

Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri said that smog, an annual occurrence from forest fire on Indonesia’s Sumatra has covered five provinces in southern Thailand – Satun, Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat -- posing a health threat to local residents.

The public health ministry ordered local health centres and hospitals to be prepared to treat patients with respiratory problems, particularly those with heart diseases, allergy, asthma, the elderly and children.

The disease prevention and control office in Songkhla was instructed to dispatch 12,000 health masks to local people in each of the five provinces and to stockpile another 50,000 masks as the smog situation is unlikely to ease soon.

People are advised to refrain from outdoor activities and wear masks or cover their noses with wet cloths. (MCOT online news)

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-- TNA 2012-07-03

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Trang monitors smog from Indonesian forest fires

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TRANG, July 3 – Thai authorities in the southern province of Trang are closely monitoring the impact of smog from Indonesian forest fires is again blanketing the region, a seasonal occurrence.

Provincial disaster response chief Amnuay Jantararat said that the haze from Indonesian Sumatra this morning covers all of Trang’s 10 districts and seems thicker than in previous days.

Mr Amnuay said it is the second wave of smog blanketing the province this season, obstructing vision on the Trang-Sikao road and in the municipality itself.

The situation is not considered serious and public can continue to carry out their normal activities. Small trawlers in the local fishing fleet are able to operate normally but must take precautions due to poor visibility.

Trang Governor Theerayuth Iemtrakul, meanwhile, instructed all districts to closely monitor the situation. If it worsens, health authorities must distribute masks to the public, especially to protect children and elders who are especially at risk.

The rain in the province may ease the smog, wiping it out of the skies, and it was expected that the situation would return to normal within 1-2 days. (MCOT online news)

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-- TNA 2012-07-03

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Kind of cool. Never had the government hand out masks back home for free when smoke from fires or smog hits populated areas.

Not only that unless the face masks are for smoke inhalation like fireman use they are completely useless

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Kind of cool. Never had the government hand out masks back home for free when smoke from fires or smog hits populated areas.

Not only that unless the face masks are for smoke inhalation like fireman use they are completely useless

Actually not true at all. Smoke particles are very large and these masks do "help" just as putting a cloth over your face in a building fire will help. If you smoke. try blowing the smoke out through a tissue and see how much is caught in the tissue. No doubt they are not ideal but they do help and they are free.

Edited by Nisa
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So 60,000 generic impregnated, formed cloth masks, held to the head with a little bit of elastic strap. Got it.

And these are for how many people? Perhaps it's one mask per family and the family members have to wear it in turns?

That's a... different... approach to public health than I'm used to seeing.

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So 60,000 generic impregnated, formed cloth masks, held to the head with a little bit of elastic strap. Got it.

And these are for how many people? Perhaps it's one mask per family and the family members have to wear it in turns?

That's a... different... approach to public health than I'm used to seeing.

How many people in the area? Maybe 2-3 million. So they get 60,000 masks. Wow..

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So 60,000 generic impregnated, formed cloth masks, held to the head with a little bit of elastic strap. Got it.

And these are for how many people? Perhaps it's one mask per family and the family members have to wear it in turns?

That's a... different... approach to public health than I'm used to seeing.

How many people in the area? Maybe 2-3 million. So they get 60,000 masks. Wow..

Maybe for the older and younger people who don't have money or a sealed home with air conditioning they can stay in all day and night. But lets not that stop us from whining or pointing fingers because the government is doing something for people beyond telling them to stay indoors due to a situation the government neither can control or is responsible for.

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60,00 won't go too far, but I suppose ... It's the thought that counts. Did they have a picture of a politician on them by any chance?

Edited by Dap
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