Thailand has sent 24,000 doses of anti-cholera medication to Myanmar, which should be enough for 2,400 patients, and will send about 4,000 doses of anti-cholera vaccine next week, to cope with the current cholera outbreak in Myanmar border towns, Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said today.
He disclosed that, according to unofficial reports, about 7,000 people in Myanmar are infected with cholera, most of them in Yangon, Mandalay and in Mon state. In Shwe Kokko township of Kayin state, about 300 are infected. Four cases have also been reported in Mae Sot district of Thailand’s Tak province, including two Burmese and two Thais, he added.
Regarding the vaccine, he said that each person must receive two doses within seven days for it to be effective against the disease for six months.
To protect oneself from infection, Somsak emphasised the importance of cleanliness, as he suggested that people consume well-cooked food and clean or boiled water.
