BANGKOK, 12 April 2013 The Public Health Ministry has come out to assure that the country is free of avian flu and serious contagious disease after the Chinese authorities confirmed a Thai national, who died during his trip to China, was not infected with any deadly virus.
Public Health Minister Pradit Sintavanarong said on Thursday that the Department of Epidemiology has received a confirmation from the Department of Disease Control in Yunnan Province of China that a Thai national from Amnat Charoen Province has not died of avian influenza or other deadly virus infection while traveling in the country.
Mr. Pradit stated that the Public Health Ministry has also been keeping a close contact with all who joined the same trip to China after the whole group returned to Thailand while brushing aside reports that it has been trying to keep mum about the issue.
The minister is confident that there is no epidemic of any kind in Thailand after the lab test result from China showed the ill-fated person’s cause of death did not relate to any viral infection.
In any case, the Public Health Ministry will continue to stay vigilant and keep a keen eye on any possible epidemic, with nationwide hospitals already instructed to specifically look out for suspected patients, including those who have severe respiratory infection and those who suffered pneumonia after recent overseas trips.
Mr. Pradit added that the ministry has been collaborating with the Agriculture Ministry on reporting all infection among farmed animals while continuing to work with members of its international health alliance, particularly those in ASEAN, to tackle the current health scare.
