Myanmar man who passed through Suvarnabhumi has malaria, not Ebola
MYANMAR has notified Thailand that a Myanmar man with a record of visiting African countries who made a stopover in Thailand and was tested for Ebola disease had malaria.
Deputy director-general of Disease Control Department, Dr Okart Karnkawinpong, said yesterday that the man had returned from the African country of Guinea. He did not pass through the disease-monitoring centre at Suvarnabhumi Airport because he was a transit passenger, he said. The man had also visited Morocco and Abu Dhabi.
The man was sent to a hospital upon arrival at Yangon to test for the deadly disease because he had high fever. His case sparked rumours but Dr Okart said he was informed that the man had malaria, not Ebola.
Earlier, Myanmar’s Ministry of Information reported on its website yesterday that the man had worked in Guinea and Liberia. He arrived at the airport in Yangon from Bangkok at about 8pm on Tuesday.
His four friends, who had close contact with him, had no fever but were sent to the same hospital for further observation and laboratory tests.
Meanwhile, Permanent Secretary for Health Dr Narong Sahamethapat said his ministry will this week visit Suvarnabhumi Airport to discuss preventative measures against the virus.
Three students from Nigeria are being monitored for the disease. They arrived in Vietnam between July 31 and August 8 to attend a college in Hanoi, and have been asked to stay indoors under a 21-day fever watch.
The Health authorities said the students were healthy, and underwent medical check-ups every day. They were asked to inform health officers if they developed symptoms of fever, headache, vomiting, diarrhoea or haemorrhage.
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