BANGKOK, Aug 13 (Bernama) -- The Thai Ministry of Public Health has declared the Ebola virus disease (EVD) the sixth hazardous infectious disease in the country, which required reports to authorities on every case detected, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.
Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr Narong Sahamethapat told journalists that the declaration was signed on Wednesday and will take effect one day after it is published in the Royal Gazette.
Dr Narong said that EVD was included in Thailand's list of hazardous infectious diseases, in addition to smallpox, yellow fever, meningococcal meningitis, cholera and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
Dr Narong said the Thai Ministry of Public Health has also declared Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria's Lagos City as contagious areas.
This is aimed at warning people to be on high alert against those entering Thailand from the affected areas, especially during their first 21-day entry, although travels to the areas have not yet been banned.
According to the senior official, 483 people arrived in Thailand from the EVD-prone areas over the past 79 days, but all of them remained healthy.
Meanwhile, the Geneva-based World Health Organisation (WHO) reported that there have been 1,848 EVD patients so far, 1,013 of them have died, noting, however, that the EVD fatality rate has already dropped to 60 per cent, thanks to experienced medical personnel and more precautions now, TNA said. http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v7/ge/newsgeneral.php?id=1060165
