Cambodia confirms first case of coronavirus

Chinese nationals arriving in Thailand through the Aranyaprathet border checkpoint in Sa Kaeo are being screened for signs of a fever. (Photo by Sawat Ketngam)
Chinese nationals arriving in Thailand through the Aranyaprathet border checkpoint in Sa Kaeo are being screened for signs of a fever. (Photo by Sawat Ketngam)

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the country, Health Minister Mam Bunheng said on Monday.

The patient is a Chinese man who came with his family from the Chinese city of Wuhan to Sihanoukville earlier this month, the minister said.

Wuhan is the epicentre of the new flu-like virus that has killed 81 people, all in China, and infected more than 2,700 others. More than a dozen countries have reported cases, although most are in China.

The patient left Wuhan on Thursday and developed a fever on Saturday. He is now stable.

The minister urged people in Cambodia, which has a large population of Chinese investors and workers, to be vigilant.

"People who return from Wuhan city, Hubei province of the People's Republic of China must regularly check their health and if they have fever symptoms, cough, running nose, ...please hurry to seek medical treatment at public health centres," he said.

All Chinese nationals entering Thailand from Cambodia via the immigration checkpoint at Ban Khlong Luek in Aranyaprathet district of Sa Kaeo are being given thermal health scans for signs of coronavirus infection.

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Vocabulary

  • coronavirus (n): any of a group of viruses that cause a variety of diseases in humans and other animals -
  • epicentre (noun): the point on the earth's surface where the effects of an earthquake are felt most strongly; the central point of something - ศูนย์กลาง
  • fever: an abnormally high body temperature - ไข้
  • infected: having a disease transmitted from someone else - ซึ่งติดเชื้อ
  • investors (noun): people or organisations that invest money, i.e., use money with the aim of making a profit from it, for example by buying property or buying shares in a company - นักลงทุน
  • patient: someone who is receiving medical treatment - คนป่วย, คนไข้
  • scan: to look at something very carefully, because you hope or expect to see a particular person or thing - มองกวาด, ดูผ่าน ๆ ตา
  • stable: with a healthy mental and emotional state - มีสุขภาพจิตดี
  • vigilant: always being careful to notice things, especially possible danger - ซึ่งระแวดระวัง, ซึ่งดูแลความปลอดภัย
  • virus (noun): a living thing, too small to be seen without a microscope, that causes infectious disease in people, animals and plants - เชื้อไวรัส

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