Thai Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai has ordered surveillance measures to be stepped up along the Thai-Myanmar border in Tak following a cholera outbreak in Myanmar.
Phumtham, also the defense minister, said after a Defense Council meeting yesterday the ministry is working with the armed forces and the Public Health Ministry on stricter measures at the border.
He said soldiers in the area will help monitor the situation, including by setting up checkpoints and quarantine spots along the border.
Surveillance will be maintained for at least a month to prevent the outbreak spilling into Thailand.
Local authorities are also working to make people aware of the dangers of cholera and distributing gloves and face masks to ensure cleanliness and maintain hygiene, he said.
Phumtham added that all officials working at the border must wear face masks.
The outbreak in Myanmar has killed two people and infected 300 in Shwe Kokko, a town in Karen State’s Myawaddy Township, which is located across the border from Tak.
Public health permanent secretary Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong said two suspected cases were detected in Tak, one at Mae Sot Hospital and the other at Mae Ramat Hospital.
Mae Sot and Mae Ramat districts were designated as high risk for the spread of cholera, as both are located opposite Shwe Kokko and have many factories that employ workers from across the border.
Opas said an emergency operations center has been set up in Tak in response to the outbreak at the border.
As people are planning celebrations during the New Year holiday, the operations center has put in place preventive measures including monitoring patients with symptoms of diarrhea and the quality of food sold by vendors at public events.
There is also proactive surveillance in high-risk areas such as in border communities, factories and temporary shelters, and ensuring there are enough medical supplies, Opas said.
