PANDEMIC
Officials muzzled on H1N1
- Published: 16/06/2009 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: News
The Public Health Ministry is asking provincial health and hospital chiefs not to speak to the media about influenza A (H1N1) cases in an effort to calm disquiet over the extent of the spread of the virus.
Workers and officials from Pattaya municipality clean up Walking Street as part of a campaign to prevent the spread of H1N1 flu and boost tourist confidence in the resort town. TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD
Ministry spokesman Suphan Sithamma said a letter was being sent to senior health figures warning them not to say anything about the number of flu cases and details about the patients. All information was to be filtered through health authorities in Bangkok.
The ministry's hush-hush order came as the number of flu cases passed the 200 mark and experts expected it to rise further.
The number of H1N1 victims in Thailand yesterday reached 201 after 51 new cases were confirmed.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and other officials, including cabinet members in charge of public health, have urged people not to panic as the virus has a low fatality rate.
Tawee Chotpitayasunondh, a virologist at the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health, predicted the number of new cases in Thailand might peak within a month in line with the pattern of other countries.
New infections found in Japan and the US rose to between 300 and 400 cases during their peak periods before tailing off, Dr Tawee said. The number of new H1N1 cases in Japan had been holding steady since the peak of the outbreak was reached last month.
The Education Ministry has ordered the closure of 14 schools for a week to prevent the spread of the flu.
It said in a statement 60 students had been confirmed with the H1N1 flu. One was a student at the public health faculty at Mahidol University, one was with the science faculty at Chiang Mai University and the rest were schoolchildren.
Education Minister Jurin Laksanavisit has assigned permanent secretary for education Chinnapat Bhumirat to work with the Public Health Ministry in an effort to contain the spread in schools.
All Bangkok schools have undergone disinfection in recent days.
School directors have been authorised to exercise their own judgement on whether to suspend classes if any pupil is diagnosed with the new strain, Mr Jurin said.
Apart from the students, two female American teachers who arrived in Trang from the US have tested positive for the virus. They were quarantined on arrival after showing signs of high fever at Trang airport and are recovering in Trang Hospital, a provincial public health official, Sathit Phaiprasert, said.
The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority and State Railway of Thailand have ordered staff to clean train carriages and buses more often.
About the author
- Writer: POST REPORTERS
