Over 400 thousands suffer from heat-borne diseases during Jan-April period

BANGKOK, May 2 (TNA) - Public Health Minister Wittaya Buranasiri says 460,869 people in Thailand suffered from five heat-borne and summer diseases during January-April this year, a dozen of whom died from the illnesses. Wittaya told reporters that up to 90 per cent of the patients suffered from diarrhea, while the rest suffered from food poisoning, dysentery, typhoid fever and cholera, acknowledging that the number of this year's patients was, however, lower than the corresponding period of 2011, when a total of 527,377 people suffering from the illnesses were recorded with 29 deaths. Despite the improved trend, the minister said he has ordered local officials, particularly those in 48 drought-hit provinces, to strictly undertake measures to prevent the spread of the diseases, covering maintaining quality of tab-water and bottled drinking water and hygiene inspection at local fresh markets, ice and ice-cream factories, restaurants and stalls. Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr. Paichit Varachit told the public to always drink clean water and wash their hands before cooking or having meals or feeding their children, cautioning that summer heat and drought lead to easy spreading of bacteria and several diseases. (TNA)