Holiday season finds roads in Thailand deadly!

 Thailand's roads once again deadly during the Holiday Season!

My friends, fellow ex-pats and tourists, please be careful this holiday season. The roads here in Thailand like anywhere else can be very dangerous especially during the holiday season. Please don't drink and drive. Check out the early statistics from "The Nation"

Road accidents kill 86 in first 2 days of holidays
Pongphon Sarnsamak,
Prasit Tangprasert
The Nation


Rescue workers tend to people injured in a car accident in Phitsanulok yesterday. Six people were injured in the crash after a speeding pickup crossed a traffic island and hit this sedan head-on.

BANGKOK: -- Police say 474 road accidents killed 86 people and injured 885 between Friday and Saturday, the first two days of the so-called "seven dangerous days".

The road toll is expected to rise further over the coming days.

Yesterday, the Road Safety Centre released statistics from road accidents reported on Friday and Saturday only.

Drunk driving and speeding were the major causes of accidents during the opening days of the festive period, according to Department of Probation director-general Ruenvadee Suwanmong-kol, who chaired yesterday's press conference.

Reports say 37 per cent of road accidents resulted from drunk driving and 23 per cent from high-speed driving; while 81.5 per cent of road accidents involved motorcycles. Most of the motorcycle casualties were not wearing a helmet.

Main roads were the site of 61 per cent of the accidents and 34.6 per cent occurred on village roads. Highways saw 34.3 per cent of all accidents, most of which took place between 4pm and 8pm.

Some 611,600 cars and vehicles were inspected at police checkpoints and 100,587 cases resulted in arrests. Infractions included 31,020 drivers without a licence, and 28,092 motorcyclists without a helmet.

Nakhon Si Thammarat had the highest number of road accidents and number of injured people, with 23 and 25 respectively.

Ayutthaya had the highest number of deaths from road accidents, with five cases. Only four provinces recorded no road accidents during this period: Chaiyaphum, Bueng Kan, Rayong and Samut Songkhram.

Ruenvadee said the centre had ordered provincial authorities nationwide to help eliminate road accidents on main and secondary roads in the cities, especially near entertainment venues.

Police are urged to arrest those who drink and drive, drive at high speed, or ride motorcycles without a helmet.

The New Year holidays are associated with danger as millions of people hit the road on vacation or visits to home provinces.

Chutipong Sukarayotin, a player of the Thai national beach volleyball team, was driving to his home province of Udon Thani when he suddenly fell asleep behind the wheel in Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday morning.

His car slammed into a telephone booth.

"The crash woke me up," the 21-year-old man said.

He said he left Bangkok at about 5pm on Saturday but with the traffic jammed, the trip took so long he became tired and fell asleep.

"Fortunately, I had my safety belt on and my car had an air bag. So, I've survived," Chutipong said. "But I've learnt a lesson now.

"I’ll never drive the whole night again."

Police have charged Chutipong with reckless driving and causing damage to the property of others.


-- The Nation 2013-12-30

Thailand Public Health Ministry orders nationwide surveillance measures against Coronavirus

Readers please take note. This virus can be potentially very dangerous. There have been recent deaths in Saudi Arabia due to this virus. Last year we almost lost our dog to this virus as well, it can effect both people and animals.  Article below explains:

BANGKOK, June 24 - Thailand's Public Health Minister Pradit Sintavanarong ordered health officials nationwide to be on alert of Coronavirus particularly in tourist destination provinces.

 

 Mr Pradit said Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chonburi, Phuket, and Khon Kaen were especially ordered to be on high alert. He added that local hospitals are already prepared to receive suspected cases.

According to the minister, the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) has not been detected in Thailand but the Public Health Ministry is ready to deal with the disease. All provinces are to monitor patients with serious respiratory symptoms, particularly those having pneumonia. Disease control is to be done for both MERS-CoV and Influenza A virus subtype H7N9.

Related laboratory systems are to be set up in the Medical Sciences Department's 14 centres nationwide for fast and accurate diagnosis of the disease.

Meanwhile, permanent-secretary for Public Health Narong Sahametapat said at risk groups vulnerable to Coronavirus are Thai-Muslim pilgrims who are going to Saudi Arabia for Hajj in Sep-Oct, Thai workers returning home from the Middle East, and Thais and foreigners travelling through Middle Eastern countries.

The Public Health Minister issued health advisories in Thai, English, and Arabic languages for those entering the country, providing preliminary information about the symptoms.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on June 17 reported that 64 patients had been confirmed infected with MERS-CoV with the death toll so far at 38 in nine countries, including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy.

The number of patients is anticipated to rise worldwide, while all countries are to closely monitor the situation. The source of the disease still remains unclear. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-06-24

Nearly 49,000 infected with dengue in Thailand, 59 dead

BANGKOK, 21 June 2013 (NNT) – Nearly 49,000 people in Thailand have been infected with dengue virus, 59 of whom died. Half of the deaths were children.

A few weeks ago i posted about the rise and concerns of Dengue Fever, Check out this article from The national News Bureau of Thailand.

 According to Public Health Minister Pradit Sintavanarong, dengue situation in Thailand is still of concern given nearly 49,000 people have so far been afflicted by the disease.

59 patients have died of dengue fever since the beginning of 2013, and more than half of the number were children. The minister has, therefore, urged all hospitals to diagnose their patients carefully and thoroughly.

The minister has also urged related agencies nationwide to step up prevention measures, including cleaning all water containers and sewer drains, using mosquito-killer sprays, and eliminating all mosquito breeding grounds.
 

He has also warned those who experience flu, headache, or body ache, to consult a doctor immediately as they could be infected by the deadly dengue virus.


-- NNT 2013-06-21

Dengue Fever expected to be on the rise this year in Thailand

Health authorities on alert for mosquito attack

News source: The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A nationwide public health campaign against mosquito-borne dengue fever will be launched to forestall a major epidemic forecast at up to 150,000 cases this year - four times last year's total.

The Cabinet meeting tomorrow would be asked to mobilise support from all authorities and the public, Public Health Minister Pradit Sinthawanarong said yesterday.

The campaign will advise families nationwide to stay indoors in rooms with screened windows and sealed door frames all the time, not just when sleeping in mosquito nets.

The application of herbal liquid repellent would be encouraged in place of burning mosquito coils, whose smoke is harmful, especially to children and sick people.

The campaign, if started now, will eliminate mosquitoes before May when the seasonal spread of the viral disease is at its peak.

It is expected to cut dengue treatments by half, he added.

"There could be 120-200 deaths arising from all cases this year,"

In the first two months of this year, 12 patients died out of 9,824 dengue cases. New cases are running at an average of more than 1,200 a week. The ministry estimates that dengue cases could reach 120,000-150,000 this year, of which 15,000 would likely need hospital treatment.

The cooperation and assistance of all ministries involved were needed as the Public Health Ministry's activities alone could eliminate only 10 per cent of the mosquito population, whose larvae hatch in pockets of rainwater or still water at the household level or in nature.