PHUKET: The incidence of people suffering from abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea is gradually declining in Phuket, with the number of patients in hospitals having decreased from 1,000 at the beginning of June to less than 300 now, confirmed Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO).
Speaking to The Phuket News today (June 15), Dr Kusak explained that the medical community has already witnessed steady improvement, although the outbreak is not yet over.
“As of yesterday (June 14), there were 291 patients remaining in hospitals in total. Hospitalisations and in-patient treatment constitute around 10% of all cases. No severe cases have been recorded so far,” Dr Kusak said.
As the outbreak has not yet concluded, the PPHO Chief reiterated his urging for people to strictly follow basic hygiene rules and be particularly cautious if there is a sick person among family members.
“I would like to ask people to eat only freshly cooked food, avoid sharing forks and spoons, and wash their hands often. Please keep your houses clean and pay special attention to restrooms, especially if one of your family members has diarrhea. Toilets should be cleaned with disinfectant solutions, and cloths should be thoroughly washed with detergents,” Dr Kusak reminded.
In the case of severe infection characterised by extreme fatigue and difficulties holding fluids and food down after ingestion, people are advised to seek professional medical help rather than trying to overcome the sickness on their own.
No contamination at water and ice plants
Yesterday (June 14), the Phuket provincial office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) posted a report on inspections conducted at a number of ice and drinking water production facilities across the island. Due to language issues, the report was wrongly interpreted by some media channels (including The Phuket News*) as confirming the finding of strains of the norovirus, the most common pathogen causing conditions such as vomiting and diarrhea.
Speaking to The Phuket News today, Dr Kusak confirmed that no signs of contamination were found at any of the three water-producing facilities or the six ice factories. All the inspected locations were found to be free of norovirus.
Further explaining the matter, Dr Kusak said that the collective teams of relevant officials specifically targeted the nine key producers of drinking water and ice on the island.
“These facilities supply their products to smaller ventures acting as sources of drinking water and ice for the island. We did not find any contamination at any of those facilities,” Dr Kusak confirmed.
“We will also continue to inspect municipal water sources on a daily basis, such as water treatment plants or lakes providing water to people,” he added.
Dr Kusak assured that if norovirus is found at any water or ice-producing facilities, the PPHO will immediately warn people about it and order the facility to shut down until it undergoes proper disinfection and is declared safe following an inspection.
“Rest assured that we will announce this to the people and investigate the source of contamination,” he said.
The PPHO Chief also assured that there is no deficit of medical supplies or lack of medical personnel to counter the seasonal norovirus outbreak in Phuket, although it appears to be more severe than last year or the year before when Phuket had not yet fully returned to normal life and COVID-19 restrictions remained in force.
“I would like to assure the public that the situation is improving. The number of patients has decreased and continues to decrease. The treatment provided by government and private hospitals in coordination with the PPHO is sufficient. We can handle the outbreak. Local residents and tourists can trust that the situation is under control,” Dr Kusak concluded.
The Phuket News misinterpretted the original report by PR Phuket and removed the publication pending direct confirmation of facts from Dr Kusak. The error is regretted.
