BANGKOK: Immigration Bureau has alerted officers at land, sea and air checkpoints over reports of plague in Russia. Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Nopasin Poolsawat outlined the precautions in comments reported by Nation TV on Wednesday (Oct 7).
The commissioner said the Department of Disease Control, under the Ministry of Public Health, was responsible for announcing disease-control measures. No special measures had been issued at the time of his interview.
The Department of Disease Control’s Oct 5 notice described the Russian incident as a suspected pneumonic plague case and said confirmation from the World Health Organization was still awaited.
The World Health Organization says pneumonic plague can spread between people and can be rapidly fatal without prompt treatment.
Immigration officers at land, sea and air entry points have been reminded to maintain hygiene precautions, particularly when processing passengers on flights from areas affected by disease outbreaks, Pol Lt Gen Nopasin said.
The focus on arriving travellers reflects Thailand’s position as an international aviation and tourism hub, with extensive cross-border travel.
Pol Lt Gen Nopasin said separate screening channels would be introduced only after the Public Health Ministry announced additional measures if the situation overseas worsened. The bureau’s planning draws on procedures previously used for Ebola.
Under the contingency arrangements, passengers arriving from countries experiencing an outbreak would be directed to designated screening lanes, separate from other travellers, Pol Lt Gen Nopasin said.
The Public Health Ministry could subsequently order quarantine after passengers had cleared immigration, Pol Lt Gen Nopasin said. Decisions on quarantine would rest with the ministry, while immigration officers would implement its directions. The bureau remained ready to act whenever required, he added. - The Nation/ANN
