MERS likely to be declared dangerous communicable disease in Thailand next week

BANGKOK, June 13 (TNA) - After more than a dozen of victims of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) have died in South Korea, the Thai Ministry of Public Health is drafting an announcement to declare the deadly virus the seventh dangerous communicable disease. Dr. Sophon Mekthon,Director General of the ministry’s Department of Disease Control, told journalists on Saturday (Jun 13) that his department's legal experts are drafting the announcement to declare MERS as Thailand's seventh most dangerous communicable disease under the 1980 Communicable Disease Act and it is expected that the announcement should be ready next week. As a precaution, officials have installed three thermoscans at Thailand's main Suvarnabhumi International Airport, while health beware cards have also been distributed to travelers returning from risk-prone countries to the virus, including those in the Middle East and South Korea. Besides, travelers are advised to observe themselves two weeks after returning from the areas at risk, as the fatal virus may develop during the period. Meanwhile, at least three Thai hospitals have been temporarily closed for cleaning, while special compartments have been reserved for suspicious virus patients. As more than 4,000 South Koreans are participating in a meeting on direct sales in Muang Thong Thani on the outskirts of Bangkok this weekend, officials have decided to don facemasks and measure body temperature of the participants, with no suspect having been found among the participants. According to updated news reports as of Saturday afternoon, there have been 138 MERS cases in South Korea since May 20, 14 of them have died. (TNA)