BANGKOK, March 11 (TNA) -- Thailand's Public Health Ministry has tightened health precautions on people entering the kingdom from countries sharing common borders with this country in an attempt to protect the public from contagious deadly diseases, a senior ministry official said Sunday.
Dr. Thawat Suntrajarn, director-general of the Disease Control Department, said his department had in the past received cooperation from several international organisations as well as from countries sharing borders with Thailand on exchanging information, laying out measures to prevent outbreaks of disease and screening suspected patients travelling between the countries.
Countries sharing common borders with Thailand are Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia.
While inspecting a disease control office at Aranyaprathet district bordering Cambodia, Dr. Thawat said that many traders, both Thais and Cambodians, as well as numerous tourists traveled through this border checkpoint every month.
In February alone some 400,000 people crossed into Thailand via this checkpoint.
Several deadly diseases such as avian influenza (bird flu), HIV-AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria are still spreading in Cambodia, he said, adding that special medical screening attention is being given to people leaving Cambodia for Thailand.
For example, 158 foreigners contracting malaria in Cambodia had crossed into Sa Kaeo province bordering Cambodia for medical treatment in 2005 while the number rose to 223 last year. So far, he added, 47 malaria patients had received treatment since the beginning of 2007.
Dr. Thawat Suntrajarn, director-general of the Disease Control Department, said his department had in the past received cooperation from several international organisations as well as from countries sharing borders with Thailand on exchanging information, laying out measures to prevent outbreaks of disease and screening suspected patients travelling between the countries.
Countries sharing common borders with Thailand are Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Malaysia.
While inspecting a disease control office at Aranyaprathet district bordering Cambodia, Dr. Thawat said that many traders, both Thais and Cambodians, as well as numerous tourists traveled through this border checkpoint every month.
In February alone some 400,000 people crossed into Thailand via this checkpoint.
Several deadly diseases such as avian influenza (bird flu), HIV-AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria are still spreading in Cambodia, he said, adding that special medical screening attention is being given to people leaving Cambodia for Thailand.
For example, 158 foreigners contracting malaria in Cambodia had crossed into Sa Kaeo province bordering Cambodia for medical treatment in 2005 while the number rose to 223 last year. So far, he added, 47 malaria patients had received treatment since the beginning of 2007.
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