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Thailand in the Dark about Burma?s Bird Flu

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  • Thailand in the Dark about Burma?s Bird Flu

    <TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=0 width="90%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>http://www.irrawaddy.org/aviewer.asp?a=5679&z=154
    Thailand in the Dark about Burma?s Bird Flu
    April 24, 2006
    </TD></TR><TR><TD>By Sai Silp</TD></TR><TR><TD> </TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- <table width="10%" border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="0" align="left"> <tr> <td></td> </tr> </table> -->
    Thai public health authorities and medical NGOs are getting ready for a bird flu outbreak on the Thai-Burma border area of Tak province.
    An official from the Tak Provincial Public Health Office told The Irrawaddy today that they have already supplied flu vaccines to all medical staff working in refugee camps and with Burmese migrants in Tak province. A limited number of Tamilflu tablets have also been distributed to refugee camps and the Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot.
    Representatives from NGOs were given the vaccine today and Tamilflu will be issued on April 26, the official said.
    ?Medical staff [working with migrants] is the first group to receive this vaccine because of their work with high risk groups and they can identify the disease. The vaccine for refugees is not available yet because of a budget problem.?
    A local staff member for the International Organization for Migration based in Mae Sot said that the control of a possible bird flu outbreak in the refugee camps would be easier to manage than one among the transient migrant groups living along the border.
    Thai public health authorities are concerned about a lack of information about the bird flu situation in Burma. The IOM staff member said they had decided having a protection plan was the safest way to proceed.

    ?We?ve heard about outbreaks in poultry and human cases inside Burma, but the news is not confirmed. We have to be careful because we cannot control wild bird migration, and movement of people on the borderline is unpredictable.?
    Thai health authorities say there is a need to raise awareness and concern among aid agencies working with Burmese migrants. An official said a lack of reliable health data from Burma meant they could not predict the actual situation inside.
    The IOM official said they were working closely with Thai authorities.
    ?They gave us five doses of Tamilflu for each camp, and five for Mae Tao Clinic. Tamilflu is most effective if used within 48 hours of the flu symptoms starting. If we need more, we can ask the Thai authorities to supply it,? the official added.
    The IOM official said bird flu management in Thailand is successful, but for refugees and migrants the policy is still not clear and local organizations are trying to set up a testing system and an immediate treatment response plan to prevent the spread of the disease.
    The provincial health authority has already provided medical equipment, such as disease rapid testing kits, for use along the border area by specially trained staff.
    Thai health officials say that in the event of a suspected case of H5N1 bird flu virus occurring in the refugee camps, a lock down would be enforced to stop people and poultry moving in and out of the camp. Following recent bird flu outbreaks, authorities have already stopped the flow of poultry in and out of the camps.
    Tak public health officials have been meeting to formulate plans for possible outbreaks on the border since January 2006.
    </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

  • #2
    Re: Thailand in the Dark about Burma?s Bird Flu

    Hmmmm,

    Unconfirmed reports of human H5N1 cases inside Burma.

    With 5 doses of Tamiflu per camp it looks like Thailand is using a 'Tami Patch' approach instead of the preffered 'Tami Blanket'.

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    • #3
      Re: Thailand in the Dark about Burma?s Bird Flu

      http://www.monnews-imna.com/web2006/april/24.htm
      Burma getting hotter and hotter
      IMNA,
      April 24, 2006
      Myanmar is getting hotter by the day and more people are catching fever, claimed a worker into traditional medicine.
      Temperatures in Myanmar , have been hovering at over 40 degrees centigrade. It is the highest in 14 years according to the traditional medicine worker, who did not want to be identified for reasons of security. Due to the heat people easily catch flu and have fever, he added.
      ?Everyday more patients with fever come to me for treatment after being refused admission to the hospital because they cannot afford to pay,? the medicine worker who lives near Rangoon said.
      About 30 patients go to him for treatment each day and the number of patients is on the rise. ?I treat people who have flu with ?Ha Jate? similar to acupuncture and they get better,? said the medical worker.
      As in capital Rangoon , Pegu division and southern Burma have the same temperature levels.
      ?I can't stop flapping the fan. I have to stay downstairs,? Ma Myint from Pegu said. She said it was just too hot.
      According to the traditional medicine worker, people could easily die from flu and need to avoid eating fatty food and sticky rice. Some Pegu residents have died from flu, he claimed. But some parts of southern Burma received some rain, a resident said.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Thailand in the Dark about Burma?s Bird Flu

        Ummm I always thought the flu was a cold weather disease.

        This report, combined with the first report are not good.
        Last edited by DB; April 24, 2006, 10:47 AM.

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