Thailand opens emergency centre after cholera outbreak in Myanmar

The Public Health Ministry on Sunday set up the forward emergency operations centre (EOC) in Tak province to monitor and minimise the impact from a cholera outbreak across the border in Myanmar.

Opas Karnkawinpong, permanent secretary at the Public Health Ministry, said the forward EOC was set up in Tak as the northern province was at high risk from the spillover of the cholera outbreak from Shwe Kokko town in Myanmar.

Opas said the Tak Public Health Office served as the forward EOC and acting public health inspector-general Dr Supachoke Vejaphanphesat served as the situation commander of the forward EOC. Sopon Iamsirithaworn, chief inspector-general of the ministry, serves as the adviser of the forward EOC.

Opas took the action after it was reported that 300 people in Shwe Kokko got cholera and two have died. It was reported that 56 patients were admitted to Shwe Kokko Hospital and two suspected cases were admitted to two hospitals in Tak – one in Mae Sod Hospital and another in Mae Ramat Hospital. Doctors are still awaiting lab results on the two suspected cases.

Opas said the forward EOC would closely watch for outbreak in high-risk areas such as communities along the border and temporary shelters along the border.

Opas said drugstores, community leaders and Myanmar health volunteers would monitor for suspected cholera cases and would report their findings to the forward EOC.

The EOC would dispatch officials to educate Myanmar workers along the border how to protect themselves from getting cholera.
The officials would report cases of watery diarrhoea as suspected cases and would conduct lab tests immediately to try to prevent the outbreak on the Thai side, Opas added.

The forward EOC would survey availability of medicines in Tak to treat diarrhoea cases and would seek medical supplies from the ministry, if necessary.