Bangkok (VNA) - Thailand’s border with Myanmar in Tak province will be temporarily closed for a month to prevent the spread of cholera, which is currently spreading in the adjacent city of Shwe Kokko in Myanmar, Thai Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said December 23.
A joint centre comprising the ministries of defence and public health, along with the army, has been established to monitor the cholera situation.
It has been working to publicise the dangers of cholera and to educate people about the need for cleanliness. Rubber gloves and face masks are being distributed.
Meanwhile, Dr Opart Karnkawinpong, permanent secretary for public health, said that additional health officials are in Mae Sot district to help local officials control the spread of the disease, with the setting up of an emergency centre to screen all patients from Myanmar.
A cholera outbreak has been reported in Shwe Kokko town in Myanmar’s Kayin state, where about 300 people are reported to have fallen sick. Two have died.
Three Myanmar nationals working in Tak’s Mae Sot district were infected with cholera and treated at a Mae Sot hospital. One remains hospitalised, while the other two have bMyanmaeen discharged./.
