Health ministry to confer as Thai pilgrims return

BANGKOK, Sept 6 (TNA) - Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr. Narong Sahametapat said he would hold a meeting via video conference with provincial health doctors this Friday on staying alert as the first group of Thai Muslims is due to return home late this month after attending the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. According to Dr. Narong, the first group of Thai Muslims is scheduled to arrive home on September 26. Public Health Minister Dr. Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, meanwhile, told journalists that although Thailand has no Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) victims at present, it is still risky because a number of Thai tourists travelled to countries where the deadly disease spread while a large number of Middle Easterners also travelled to Thailand to receive medical treatment at hospitals. Dr. Piyasakol said 10,400 Thai Muslims are scheduled to return to Thailand in September and October after attending the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, therefore, doctors will have to be prepared to prevent an outbreak of MERS. (TNA)