AEC could bring infectious diseases, warns expert

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Thailand will be at risk from breakouts of several infectious diseases, particularly diphtheria, when it enters the Asean Economic Community (AEC), an expert in disease control warned yesterday.

When it launches in 2015, the AEC will allow free flow of labour across all Asean countries including Thailand.

Renowned virologist Dr Prasert Thongcharoen said yesterday that diptheria had disappeared from Thailand for nearly 20 years, but breakouts had been detected recently in many Thai provinces because of high numbers of people travelling to and from neighbouring countries.

According to the Disease Control Department, 62 people caught diphtheria last year, with six deaths as a result. Thais are vaccinated against the disease as babies, but the immunity only lasts 20 years.

"The immunity level against diphtheria is weakest in people aged between 20 and 50 years old," Dr Opart Karnkawinpong, head of the department's Bureau of General Communicable Diseases, said yesterday.

Prasert said the Public Health Ministry was now considering whether to give the diphtheria vaccine to Thais aged 20 years and above.

"Vaccinations may be given to medical workers first," he said.

Other diseases to look out for during the advent of the AEC, said Prasert, were whooping cough, mumps, polio, rubella, measles and Meningococcal disease.

-- The Nation 2013-01-11

Best tell him that Thailand has a tourist industry too that is rumoured to bring in over 20 million visitors a year.

Think of the diseases all those dirty foreigners are bringing in.

And the rest of ASEAN will be worrying about Thais spreading HIV.

So the AEC will increase the risk of infectious diseases in Thailand, says 'renowned virologist Dr Prasert Thongcharoen.'

And the explosion in recent years of regional and global travel hasn't? And the fact that Thailand's land borders are porous with people drifting across into Thailand for the last couple of thousand years also hasn't also had any impact on the types and rates of infectious disease afflicting Thai people.

Nationalistic dross, both from the good doctor, and the Nation for printing this propagandist claptrap.

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Xenophobia at work

It's another Thai exercise in "shifting blame."

Xenophobia at work

And, is it my imagination, or is it only seeming to be getting worse? The big wide world is dawning on Thailand with Asean or the ICJ, and some really don't appear to know how to react, other than to make veiled xenophobic statements. Who was that idiot senator who said that the Thai's should check the makeup of the judges at the ICJ to see if they had any "connection" to Cambodia.

Edited January 11, 201313 yr by Thai at Heart

Xenophobia at work

And, is it my imagination, or is it only seeming to be getting worse? The big wide world is dawning on Thailand with Asean or the ICJ, and some really don't appear to know how to react, other than to make veiled xenophobic statements. Who was that idiot senator who said that the Thai's should check the makeup of the judges at the ICJ to see if they had any "connection" to Cambodia.

I see Yingluck has had a little word with her good friend Hun Sen and the 2 PAD guests are now to be pardonned.

And the rest of ASEAN will be worrying about Thais spreading HIV.

Haste to burst your bubble, but Thais are not considered vectors, rather Thailand is a reservoir. The vectors, are the foreign visitors that come for sex and then proceed to spread the illnesses in their native lands. HIV s easy to avoid: Practice safe sex. Unfortunately, the millions of foreign tourists carrying infectious illnesses such as TB Hepatitis (Russia, China, Africa) and respiratory illnesses (EU, North America) have the potential to kill far more people than some HIV+ Thai that isn't coughing up or crapping all over the place.

Xenophobia at work

No, it is a legitimate concern. The professor's comments are taken out of context. Please understand that an influx of people does indeed bring with it an increased likelihood of new disease carriers. The western EU nations saw it when the former east bloc countries gained access to the EU. North Americans saw it with the increased flow of visitors from Latin America. Aboriginal peoples experienced it when Europeans visited with their smallpox and strains of influenza. It is seen in North America when Chinese merchant vessels dump their bilge water introducing foreign species, and organisms. One of the large unspoken fears in public health is the increased danger of cross border traffic that will introduce new strains and variants from Vietnam and China.

Xenophobia at work

No, it is a legitimate concern. The professor's comments are taken out of context. Please understand that an influx of people does indeed bring with it an increased likelihood of new disease carriers. The western EU nations saw it when the former east bloc countries gained access to the EU. North Americans saw it with the increased flow of visitors from Latin America. Aboriginal peoples experienced it when Europeans visited with their smallpox and strains of influenza. It is seen in North America when Chinese merchant vessels dump their bilge water introducing foreign species, and organisms. One of the large unspoken fears in public health is the increased danger of cross border traffic that will introduce new strains and variants from Vietnam and China.

There are already millions of tourists coming every year, and as yet, no massive outbreak. Maybe, Thailand should just put up a big wall and not allow anyone in or out forever. Cambodians, Laotians and Burmese have been crossing the Thai border since time immemorial, so why is Asean going to make a huge difference?

Migrant labour, bla bla bla. Instead of the bizarre test for syphilis in a 3rd stage (by which point you would be a jibbering wreck) why don't they insist that migrant labour have the relevant vaccinations up to date? But of course, that would make too much sense. Better still, why doesn't Asean get together and come up with a region wide immunisation program and make sure it is all in place?

Xenophobia at work

No, it is a legitimate concern. The professor's comments are taken out of context. Please understand that an influx of people does indeed bring with it an increased likelihood of new disease carriers. The western EU nations saw it when the former east bloc countries gained access to the EU. North Americans saw it with the increased flow of visitors from Latin America. Aboriginal peoples experienced it when Europeans visited with their smallpox and strains of influenza. It is seen in North America when Chinese merchant vessels dump their bilge water introducing foreign species, and organisms. One of the large unspoken fears in public health is the increased danger of cross border traffic that will introduce new strains and variants from Vietnam and China.

23 million tourists.

Maybe 1 million workers.

There is already plenty of "worker" and tourist flow around Thailand's borders - 150,000 Cambodians at least.

You can't compare the historical events you listed as they bear no similarity.

I'm sure all the diseases are here given the extremes of transient intimacies

Thais are good at spreading a common virus sharing food spoons forks etc. You always hear "EVERYBODY SICK!" DUH!

Best tell him that Thailand has a tourist industry too that is rumoured to bring in over 20 million visitors a year.

Think of the diseases all those dirty foreigners are bringing in.

yea because Thais and Thailand is so clean....

Renowned virologist Dr Prasert Thongcharoen is now renowned for viral idiocy.

Please remind me what A.E.C. stands for

And the rest of ASEAN will be worrying about Thais spreading HIV.

Don't worry.

With there lack of English and back ward thinking , where are they going to be able to go?

Please remind me what A.E.C. stands for

Assets Examination Committee. They had to deal with some diseases too.

Best tell him that Thailand has a tourist industry too that is rumoured to bring in over 20 million visitors a year.

Think of the diseases all those dirty foreigners are bringing in.

I'm thinking more about the diseases those dirty "farangs" are taking home !!

Renowned virologist Dr Prasert Thongcharoen is now renowned for viral idiocy.

Bear in mind that diptheria is a bacterium, not a virus.

With the EU teetering on the brink of total economic collapse, it's ironic that so many TV posters are cheerleaders for the AEC (globalist claptrap). Remember that the EU monstrosity started out innocently enough as an "economic community". Rest assured that the agenda here is the same -- start out with very little power and harmless and gradually morph into a huge tax-gobbling bureaucracy, spawning inflation, etc.

Best tell him that Thailand has a tourist industry too that is rumoured to bring in over 20 million visitors a year.

Think of the diseases all those dirty foreigners are bringing in.

Stop the tourists because of sickness, and stop the work on everything, somebody might get hurt. Good Grief.

This ASEAN thing isn't such a good idea, we could lose out, think of ways to restrict it

THAT will stop human trafficing for sure,on the other hand.......?????????

who gives a hood when a girl (sneeked over the border from neighboring countries) is handled at least 10 times a day by different "users"

these users are NOT all foreign decent you know?

I change my header in.....

LETS HOPE THIS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCING OR ERADICATING HUMAN TRAFFICING!

This article shows a whole number of strange thoughts. Like f.e. Thailand is somehow isolated from the rest of the world!

Dude...what are you thinking? You are not like the Native Americans, suddenly confronted with the outside world.

WE ARE HERE! For quiet some time already!

We come from Europe, America, Asia, Australia...what is wrong with you?

All he is doing is spreading 'foot-in-mouth' disease.

"A E C Could Bring Infectious Diseases, Warns Thai Expert"

Amongst others: 'open market', 'competition', 'zero tariff import duty'

Can you sue The Nation for inappropriate use of the word Expert?

Can you sue The Nation for inappropriate use of the word Expert?

Only if it is in inverted commas.

rediculous fearmongering in the face of competition.

while on this topic, can never figure out why farangs need to get a test for syphilis to renew work permits? I can only assume that us long term married types with work permits are at greater risk of catching and spreading it than locals / visitors / people without work permits? Or are we only a risk the day before the test = meaning test negative and get slip of paper (pay 500 Baht) and good for a year apparently.

It's smells like someone ordered about 200k too many test kits and needs to get rid of them at a profit.