Thailand on alert against communicable diseases in lead-up to AC

BANGKOK, June 8 (TNA) - Thai health authorities, particulalry those in border areas, have been on alert against communicable diseases in the lead-up to the ASEAN Community (AC), set to be formed by 2015. Dr. Suriya Khuharat, chief of provincial public health office in Thailand's southern Ranong province bordering Myanmar, cautioned on Saturday that Thailand could face a recurrence of malaria, tuberculosis and elephantiasis outbreaks after the single community of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in which Thailand is a member state, is formed, unless there was effective cross-border disease control management. Dr. Suriya told reporters that disease outbreaks in Ranong have mainly caused by illegal migrant workers and they have mostly occurred in Kra Buri district near the Thai-Myanmar border, and that his office is finding ways to address and prevent such the problem in the future. According to the senior Thai health official, efforts have been made to manage migrant workers' areas and keep away patients from healthy people, while medical officials have also been sent to provide treatment for local migrant workers who have records of such the diseases. Meanwhile, dengue fever has infected a total of 552 people in Lampang province in the Thai North so far this year. Dr. Sirichai Pattaranutaporn, chief of Lampang's provincial public health office acknowledged that the number of dengue fever patients grew faster than last year and 57.32 per cent of those infected are people aged between 15-24 year olds. Official statistics, released by the Thai Ministry of Public Health, show that there have been more than 39,000 dengue fever patients nationwide since early this year, 44 of them have died. (TNA)