Thais told to avoid Ebola-vulnerable areas

[webfact]

WARNING
Thais told to avoid Ebola-vulnerable areas
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Foreign Ministry yesterday warned Thais to avoid entering areas vulnerable to a deadly Ebola outbreak, to monitor the situation closely that has hit West Africa hard and, if travel to these areas is necessary, to register with the closest Thai embassy.

Concerned agencies have stepped up measures to monitor and screen travellers from risky areas, although Suvarnabhumi Airport has not yet installed thermal scanners, the ministry said. International airports in Thailand should have devices and measures installed to determine whether passengers arriving from West Africa could be infected with Ebola, Dr Pirapong Saicheua, chairman of the Infectious Disease Association of Thailand, said.

He said devices showing the heat signature of passengers should be made available at the airports and filling out forms to show where passengers have travelled from should be made mandatory, he said, adding that Changi Airport in Singapore was doing that two weeks ago. However, he said there was no need to worry.

The director-general of the Department of Disease Control, Dr Sopon Mekthon, said the heat-detecting method was not yet necessary as Thailand was still regarded at low risk of suffering an Ebola threat.

He added that normal disease-quarantine operations were already in place at international airports.

Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr Narong Sahametapat had earlier said clinical measures had been put in place to prevent the virus popping up here.

The Bureau of Epidemiology is closely monitoring the global Ebola situation through coordination with the World Health Organisation and nationwide public health offices are monitoring foreign tourists and Thai returning from West Africa.

Government hospitals have been instructed to treat suspected Ebola patients using a higher treatment standard, and the Department of Medical Sciences is heightening its lab-based operations, which are supported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Meanwhile, there have been reports that fears over the outbreak spreading to other continents grew on Wednesday, with European and Asian countries on alert and a leading medical charity warning that the epidemic was out of control.

Doctors Without Borders said the crisis gripping Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone would only get worse and warned there was no overarching strategy to handle the world's worst outbreak of the disease.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Thais-told-to-avoid-Ebola-vulnerable-areas-30239983.html

[thenation]2014-08-01[/thenation]

[maewang99]

This is a major news story this morning.  A lot of coverage on the TV.  I didn't realize this. The risks they say are very small, so there must be a huge number of Thai visiting, and I guess working as well some of them, in Africa.  I thought the Philippines had a large "OFW" contingent, but this is huge. It's very sad and troubling because Ebola is very scary. 

Edited August 1, 2014 by maewang99

[Bluespunk]

"Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr Narong Sahametapat had earlier said clinical measures had been put in place to prevent the virus popping up here."

Such as?

[chiang mai]

"Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr Narong Sahametapat had earlier said clinical measures had been put in place to prevent the virus popping up here."
 

 

It scares me even more when they say such things because we all know it's not true.

[puukao]

For a moment I thought they might say, "Don't avoid Ebola-vulnerable areas."  

 

Tomorrow, "Avoid war zones."  Next day, "Don't jump into active volcano."  

[Cuchulainn]

That's Soi Nana Neua out then!!

[uptheos]

He said devices showing the heat signature of passengers should be made available at the airports and filling out forms to show where passengers have travelled from should be made mandatory, he said, adding that Changi Airport in Singapore was doing that two weeks ago. However, he said there was no need to worry.

 

If there's no need to worry, then there's no need for any screening devices.

 

[JacChang]

The director-general of the Department of Disease Control, Dr Sopon Mekthon, said the heat-detecting method was not yet necessary as Thailand was still regarded at low risk of suffering an Ebola threat.

 

In other words,

 

The director-general of the Department of Disease Control, Dr Sopon Mekthon, said "mai pen rai. Mai serious."

[Jonmarleesco]

'The director-general of the Department of Disease Control ... said the heat-detecting method was not yet necessary as Thailand was still regarded at low risk of suffering an Ebola threat.' Really? Based on what criteria, I wonder?

 

Still, we can seemingly rest assured that the clinical measures that have been put in place will prevent the virus from 'popping up' ...

[Payboy]

.....and filling out forms to show where passengers have travelled from should be made mandatory

 

 

I suppose they could just add an "Out of Africa" box to tick under "Yearly income" on the Arrival Card.

Edited August 1, 2014 by Payboy

[tomyumchai]

BANGKOK: -- The Foreign Ministry yesterday warned Thais to avoid entering areas vulnerable to a deadly Ebola outbreak,

 

that should put london out of bounds then.  ........and a large part of many UK cities too...........

[monk213]

The director-general of the Department of Disease Control, Dr Sopon Mekthon, said the heat-detecting method was not yet necessary as Thailand was still regarded at low risk of suffering an Ebola threat.

 

In other words,

 

The director-general of the Department of Disease Control, Dr Sopon Mekthon, said "mai pen rai. Mai serious."

 

mai bpen rai

ebola is a real killer with a 60-90% mortality rate and highly infectious, this should be handled with the up most seriousness and caution. If it mutates so that it becomes totally airborne then expect a huge culling of the human race. We are overdue one though to be honest, around every century a huge epidemic comes and wipes out many, the last being the Spanish flu. Ebola has no cure and no vaccine and a 3 week incubation period.

[bkkjames]

and meanwhile http://edition.cnn.com/2014/07/31/health/ebola-outbreak/index.html?hpt=hp_t2  flying patients back to the US?