3 replies to this topic

[Garcia]

"The government has been heavily criticised over its decision to control the release of information regarding the two confirmed A (H1N1) influenza cases involving Thai nationals.
Its decision to restrict the core details of the cases such as the age and sex of the people infected with the virus, and when they returned to the country, infringes on the public's right to know.

The government does a huge disservice when it holds back such information at a time when keeping people informed of any developments regarding the outbreak of the H1N1 virus is crucial.Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai has insisted that the two reported cases were being kept confidential to avoid violating the victims' privacy.

The bird flu outbreak in 2004 was a good lesson for the country, he said. Back then the government tried to cover up the first outbreak. But after coming under heavy fire the relevant agencies, including the Public Health Ministry and the Livestock Development Department, quickly made public all information regarding the virus' transmission and the confirmed cases. That policy also made the authorities better prepared for the second outbreak.

But the Democrat Party-led administration's handling of the current H1N1 issue lacks transparency. When the two cases were confirmed yesterday morning the Health Ministry simply said that Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart would hold a press conference on the matter that afternoon.

But when the conference got underway Maj Gen Sanan, Mr Witthaya and his deputy Manit Nopamornbodee refused to confirm the cases when asked for clarification by the media. They just kept repeating that the public should be confident as there were no cases of human-to-human transmission in Thailand.

Maj Gen Sanan even shrugged-off repeated questions concerning the flights on which the two infected Thais returned to Bangkok. "I will not answer the same old questions," he said, cutting short the conference and walking out of the room.

The H1N1 outbreak is considered to be a severe global health threat by experts. By its very nature, the H1N1 virus will likely lay low for long periods of time and then suddenly flare up again. The ministry's medical experts know the dangers the virus poses. But they now also need to learn how to deal with it effectively.

Last Friday, Thailand hosted a meeting of public health ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, plus China, Japan and South Korea on H1N1 in Bangkok. At the meeting Thailand called on all those present to address the problem openly so that the epidemic could be brought under control quickly. Now it is time for the government and health officials to turn rhetoric into reality by putting that joint agreement with their Asian partners into practice."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/1656...clean-over-h1n1

[Gene]

"The Public Health Ministry has denied making any attempt to cover up the cases of two Thais who contracted A (H1N1) influenza. The ministry yesterday said it did not reveal details of the cases to the public immediately last week, when rumours first began to circulate, because it did not want people to panic.

The two were treated with antiviral drugs and made a full recovery.

Senior medical officer at the Public Health Ministry Kamnuan Ungchusak said the ministry took precautions in handling the issue, which was delicate.Some media outlets were calling it "hell flu". If people panicked, it could complicate efforts to contain the flu. . . He said the "hell flu" description painted too morbid a picture of the situation, which would hurt the country's tourism industry."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/1669...er-up-flu-cases
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In other words, it's the bird-fly synfrome all over again. Don't tell the truth about flu cases because it will scare tourists away. TIT !!!!

[Bob]

Underlying the whole scenario is that the Thai government (and military and others) lack any credibility in the first place. And, not that anything else need be added to make this dire, who possibly could trust the Thai press to report anything fully or accurately?

Comments such as this are not aimed at the Thai people. They really don't control any of this although perhaps one could argue that public apathy and acceptance of corruption have laid the groundwork for ineffective and/or non-existent governance.

[wpcoe]

Some media outlets were calling it "hell flu". If people panicked, it could complicate efforts to contain the flu. . . He said the "hell flu" description painted too morbid a picture of the situation, which would hurt the country's tourism industry.

I heard someone the other day refer to it as the "moo flu," which has a kind of nice ring to it...