Measures intensified to prevent MERS-CoV at Thai airports

BANGKOK, January 26 (TNA) - Thailand's six international airports have stepped up measures to prevent any outbreak of the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, President of Airports of Thailand Public Co., Ltd. (AOT), told journalists of the update on January 25, elaborating that the six international airports are Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Mae Fa Luang and Hat Yai Airports. Nitinai stressed the intensified measures have been in place at the six Thai international airports after an Omani man was found to have contracted the fatal disease and has been under quarantine for medical treatment since last Sunday. Nitinai said the strict measures have been particularly implemented at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, where most of the flights from the Middle East arrive. Besides, more thermo scanners have been installed and more officials have been deployed to monitor passengers, especially those arriving from countries in the Middle East. According to the AOT chief, authorities of Thailand's Airline Operators Committee have also issued a health warning for those travelling from areas at risk and have distributed health beware cards to international passengers, while AOT has provided more hand-washing gel for passengers and trolleys and escalator handrails at the airports are cleaned more frequently. The 71-year-old Omani MERS-CoV patient, the second one in Thailand after the first patient found in mid-2015 has fully-recovered, arrived in Bangkok before dawn last Friday and reportedly suffered from the deadly MERS-CoV about a week before travelling to Thailand. (TNA)