BANGKOK, 12 June 2015 – Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has suggested the Thai people to be mindful of their health following the emergence of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in South Korea while affirming the government is strictly on guard against the disease.
Speaking on his television program “Returning Happiness to the People”, Prime Minister Prayut encouraged the general public to lead a healthy lifestyle and follow sanitary practices in a bid to reduce the risk of being infected with the MERS virus, which has spread from the Middle East to South Korea. He also cited the approaching rainy season in Thailand as a factor conducive to the growth of germs and the spread of diseases.
However, as of now, no confirmed cases of MERS have been reported in Thailand. Regarding the implementation of precautionary measures, the premier said he has assigned the Ministry of Public Health to place the same level of importance on the disease as it previously did on SARS, bird flu and Ebola.
The Prime Minister elaborated that the Department of Disease Control is currently conducting preventative work, providing advice to risk groups, monitoring infection-prone places and taking care of people arriving from infected countries. He also urged the public to contact the department at hotline number 1422 should they wish to learn more about the MERS virus or report suspicious cases.
