No Thai cases of MERS-CoV so far

BANGKOK, April 24 (TNA) - No Thai people have been reported with the 2012 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Corona virus Infection (MERS-CoV Infection) so far. Assistant Professor Dr. Arunee Thitithanyanont, a biological expert at the Faculty of Science of Thailand's Mahidol University, made the confirmation on Thursday. Assistant Professor Dr. Arunee noted that MERS-CoV is spreading in many countries in the Middle East and Europe, but in only some Asian countries, with its highest number of patients, or 217, reported in Saudi Arabia, where 72 of them have died. In Europe, Assistant Professor Dr. Arunee said, the highest number of patients is in Britain, where four people were infected and three of them died, while in Asia, 2012 MERS-CoV has been spotted in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam. According to the biological expert, tests on Thai people arriving from the affected countries at Thailand's main Suvarnabhumi International Airport have not found anyone infected with the disease. The Thai biological expert assessed it may be because MERS-CoV has a low basic reproduction number at 0.69, while that of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is at 0.80 and that of the common cold at 3-4. The Thai biological expert pointed out that people in the Middle East are vulnerable to the 2012 MERS-CoV because all camels in the region carry it and the new fatal virus can survive in the environment four times longer than the common cold and there has not been any vaccine against it, warning people of risk groups, including children, the elderly and those with chronic diseases, not to visit MERS-CoV-hit countries, but for those who must, anyway, visit the affected countries are seriously recommended to wear N95 face masks, keep washing their hands and refrain from touching their faces. (TNA)