The BF told me his son, 6 years old, had his school closed and his family is taking care of him in the day time. He said many schools in Thailand are now closed. The government has ordered other closures.

 

http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world...i.swine.flu.cnn

 

It seems to me this may do little if the closures are only for a couple of weeks. The end of the report said that Thailand may have as many as 150,000 plus cases of the swine flu.

The end of the report said that Thailand may have as many as 150,000 plus cases of the swine flu

 

In the UK the government is estimating 100,000 new cases per week! But the fact remains that for all but a tiny percentage of the population - mainly those with other existing conditions - swine flu is no worse than the normal flus going around each year.

WHO reports 2074 confirmed cases of swine flu in Thailand with four deaths. That is as of July 6, 2009.

 

See:

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_07_06/en/index.html

 

I wonder where the other 147,796 infected people are hiding. Of course it is possible that these were infected in the past week and haven't made it to the study, yet.

 

So, being the hypochondriac that I am, I will continue to exercise some precautions, such as limiting the number of boys I take home to three per night at the same time. At least for the time being.

 

 

All schools in Bangkok are closed from today until the 19th! Like GT, I cannot see how such a short period of closure will achieve anything. Children do seem to be one of the high risk groups and need more protection. I won't be surprised if they end up extending it.

All schools in Bangkok are closed from today until the 19th! Like GT, I cannot see how such a short period of closure will achieve anything. Children do seem to be one of the high risk groups and need more protection. I won't be surprised if they end up extending it.

 

NOT all schools are closed. A Thai colleague with some kids in Bangkok schools, says that his kids has to go to school and the school is only requesting the parents to buy face masks for their brats.

So please, don't create more panic than others are trying to do.

NOT all schools are closed

 

This information came from The Nation and has been posted on various websites.

 

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration announced Tuesday that its 435 schools and 200 nurseries will be closed from Wednesday and reopened next Monday following the outbreak of the type-A (H1N1) influenza.

 

Since i don't have kids, I have no idea how many schools there are in Bangkok. And I think if the BMA announced the closure, it's a reasonable assumption that all schools come under its purview. From what you say, perhaps some schools - private ones? - may not fall under the edict. But even if some schools remain open, the closure of 635 places of education is quite significant. And a good thing in my view.

 

If you've read my various other posts about the H1N1 flu, you'll have noted that I certainly am not trying - and have not tried - to create panic. After all, as I have pointed out, this is a relatively mild strain of flu.

 

With swine flu still on the rampage, I think it's useful to have a reminder from time to time of the importance of NOT coughing or sneezing into your hands. Make sure you cover your mouth and nose, though. If you use a paper tissue, make sure it is disposed of properly. And make sure you wash your hands regularly. I see several supermarkets in Bangkok have installed disinfectant hand cleaner dispensers. Use that before you take a trolley (where hands have been before you). Disinfectant hand wipes are also a good thing to have handy.

 

Not to be alarmist, here are some extracts from a factual report in today's Guardian newspaper in London. As far as England is concerned, it is kids who are the most vulnerable. More encouraging perhaps to most readers of this Board, the indications seem to be that those of us in a much older age group and generally healthy are less likely to suffer as badly as with a normal flu.

 

 

About 100,000 people caught swine flu in England last week, the chief medical officer revealed today. New official figures on consultation rates with GPs showed that:

 

• the infection has spread broadly across the country from the hotspots where it was initially concentrated;

 

• under-14s are the most affected;

 

• 840 patients in England are receiving hospital treatment for illnesses associated with the H1N1 virus, of whom 63 are in intensive care. Comparable figures for the previous week were: 652 in hospital and 53 in intensive care.

 

Unlike normal seasonal flu, which is a threat primarily to the pneumonia-prone elderly, the H1N1 virus appears to affect the young more severely. Of those who have died in England, a third were under the age of 15 while only 17% of fatalities have been among pensioners.

 

Within the same sample of 26 deaths, two-thirds of the victims had what were described as pre-existing "severe conditions" such as leukaemia, and only 16% were described as fully "healthy".

 

The infection rate has almost doubled from an estimated 55,000 new cases in the previous week to 100,000 fresh cases

I see disinfectant bottles around Pattaya in banks and Central Festival Cinema. I used them where ever I find them.