Health ministry to confer as Thai pilgrims return

BANGKOK, September 6 (TNA) – Thailand’s Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr. Narong Sahametapat said he would hold a meeting via video conference with provincial health doctors this coming Friday to warn them to be vigilant for health problems among the first group of Thai Muslims due to return from the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia late this month. According to Dr. Narong, the first group of Thai Muslims would arrive home on September 26. Public Health Minister Dr. Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, meanwhile, told journalists although Thailand had no Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) victims at present, there was still a risk because some Thai tourists travelled to countries where the deadly disease had spread while large numbers of Middle Easterners had also travelled to Thailand to receive medical treatment at hospitals. Dr. Piyasakol said a total of 10,400 Thai Muslims were scheduled to return to Thailand from September through to October, therefore, doctors should be prepared to prevent an outbreak of MERS. (TNA)