BANGKOK, Nov 1 (TNA) – The Department of Medical Sciences has readied its laboratories to conduct tests for Ebola around the clock as the disease is spreading in Uganda.
Dr Supakit Sirilak, director-general of the department, said the Ebola outbreak in Uganda was being watched closely although the number of cases was not high there. Disease control measures were intensified in Uganda but the World Health Organization had not declared Ebola a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), he said.
In Thailand, the Public Health Ministry through its Department of Disease Control stepped up disease control measures at its checkpoints on international communicable diseases. There all people from Uganda must undergo health screening and register their arrivals in Thailand, Dr Supakit said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Medical Sciences assigned the National Institute of Health to prepare its laboratories for around-the-clock Ebola tests with the molecular biological technique which could show test results in eight hours and thus support disease control and the treatment of patients, the director-general said.
The laboratories were negative pressure rooms with air filters which prevented disease from being released to the outside. In addition, their personnel were well trained to safely transport and analyze samples and disinfect them in the event of contamination during transport.
The Department of Medical Sciences also distributed manuals for other laboratories including those at hospitals to properly handle and analyze samples collected from suspected Ebola cases, Dr Supakit said. (TNA)
