Flu screening bolstered as Asian cases confirmed

By: POST REPORTERS and AFP

Published: 3/05/2009 at 12:00 AM

Newspaper section: News

Thailand has tightened its checking and screening measures to prevent a possible outbreak of swine flu following reported infections in Asia.

On Friday, Hong Kong confirmed its first case of flu, followed shortly by a case in South Korea.

In Thailand, two people are being quarantined for medical assessment after they came down with flu-like symptoms, officials said.

Health officials are gearing up for the arrival of a group of 14 Thai students and volunteers from Mexico, where the flu broke out, said Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart. The group, the first to come from Mexico since the outbreak, will undergo a thorough health examination at the airport. Any diagnosed with symptoms will be admitted to hospital, while those cleared will be allowed to go home but will remain under surveillance for seven days.

Maj-Gen Sanan, who chairs the panel monitoring swine flu, said the families of the 14 will be informed of any precautionary measures.

He will ask cabinet on Tuesday to approve the purchase of 10 infra-red thermal scanners worth 150 million baht.

The heat-detecting devices will be installed at airports and border checkpoints as part of stepped-up surveillance for the flu. Maj-Gen Sanan and Deputy Health Minister Manit Nopamornbode yesterday inspected the quarantine centre at Suvarnabhumi airport where six scanners have been installed.

About 180,000 passengers have been scanned over the past five days.

"A few dozen were found to have high fever but we checked carefully and found that none had contracted this new influenza," said Mr Manit. Passakorn Akarasewee, of the Communicable Diseases Control department, said the patients under health quarantine - a 42-year-old woman and 46-year-old man - are staying at state hospitals. He said initial test results showed the woman was free of the flu, but more tests were under way.

The male patient is being closely monitored.

He returned from a trip to France and Italy on May 1 with a fever.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he is confident the Asean health ministers meeting in Bangkok this week will strengthen flu defences around the region.