The Department of Disease Control (DDC) is closely monitoring the threat of the Marburg virus, which is currently spreading in Central Africa and has already claimed at least nine lives in the region.
Deputy DDC director-general, Sophon Iamsirithavorn, said on Monday that although the department has no plan to impose a travel ban, authorities are screening travellers from Equatorial Guinea, where the virus was first detected, as well as its immediate neighbouring countries to prevent the disease from spreading in Thailand.
Public health offices across the country have also been instructed to collect samples from anyone suspected of contracting the disease for lab testing within three hours of the patient being admitted, Dr Sophon said.
Members of the public who believe they may have been exposed to the virus are urged to alert disease control officers immediately, he said, adding that measures to contain the Ebola virus will be used to curb the spread of Marburg in the country.
The virus is from the same family as the Ebola virus, which can be transmitted through bodily fluids. The original virus was found in bats and could have been transmitted to humans.
Currently, there is no vaccine or drug to cure the disease. Treatment is carried out based on the patient's symptoms," he added.
