Malaysia controls MERS epidemic at border gates

(Baonghean.vn) - Malaysia has stepped up health checks at all entry points into the country, after neighboring Thailand's first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) was reported last week.

A monitor connected to a passenger's body temperature scanner at Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand on June 21.

Southeast Asian countries within a 650-km (400-mile) land border with Thailand have begun screening body temperatures at airports, Deputy Health Minister Hilmi Yahaya said in a statement to Bernama news agency. "We will now continue to step up screening at entry points," he said.

Tourists arriving in the country will also be informed about precautions to avoid infection. So far, there have been no cases of MERS in Malaysia.

South Korea has become the largest outbreak of MERS outside Saudi Arabia, and on June 22, the country reported two more deaths, bringing the death toll to 27. Seoul also said it had confirmed three new cases, bringing the total number of people infected to 172.

Thailand's health ministry said over the weekend that 175 people had come into contact with the person infected with MERS but the case was not linked to the outbreak in South Korea.

MERS was first identified in humans in Saudi Arabia in 2012, and most cases have occurred in the Middle East. Scientists are unsure of the virus's origins, but some studies have linked it to camels.

Phuong Thao

(According to Reuters)