Second MERS-CoV patient in Thailand recovering

BANGKOK, January 28 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Public Health reports that the condition of an elderly Omani patient found to have contracted the fatal Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has been recovering, but he has remained in a quarantine unit for treatment at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute on the outskirts of Bangkok. Dr. Amnuay Gajeena, Director-General of the ministry’s Department of Disease Control, told journalists of the update on Thursday, saying, however, that his ministry is requesting the French Embassy in Bangkok to help look for a French national who was in close contact with the Omani patient but has not yet reported to Thai health authorities. Dr. Amnuay noted that all other 39 people having close contacts with the Omani patient are now under close monitoring by doctors. The senior official suggested the public not to be panic because Thailand’s health system is comprehensively-effective, while his ministry has asked the UN World Health Organisation (WHO) to inform countries, especially those affected by MERS-CoV, to strictly follow international health practices to prevent the spreading of the deadly disease. According to the senior Thai health official, there have been 26 countries worldwide affected by MERS-CoV and more than 500 patients, out of a total of 1,626 cases, have died so far. The 71-year-old Omani MERS-CoV patient arrived in Bangkok before dawn last Friday and was discovered to have infected with MERS-CoV about a week before travelling to Thailand. (TNA)