department of medical sciences
- Thailand News
Thailand offers free newborn screening for 24 rare conditions to boost birth rate
The Department of Medical Sciences (DMS) and the National Health Security Office (NHSO) of Thailand announced a new initiative offering free screening for newborns to detect 24 rare medical conditions. This proactive move is part of a wider strategy designed to bolster the health of the nation’s children. This comes amidst an ongoing decline in the birth rate, with a…
- Covid-19 News
Covid cases down, international arrivals up
Good news for tourism, bad news for Covid-19: international travellers have surged while infection figures have actually declined. After Thailand relaxed its immigration measures, the number of tourists visiting has seen a steady increase. With extra fears due to Chinese tourism reopening amidst a major Covid wave there, the number of new cases in Thailand has been going down. According…
- Thailand News
DDC reveals Thailand recorded its eighth monkeypox case
Thailand recorded yet another monkeypox case today the Department of Disease Control Department (DDC) revealed. It takes the kingdom’s total cases up to eight. DDC Director General Dr Opas Karnkawinpong reported the latest case is a 23 year old Thai man who returned to Thailand from Qatar this week. Dr Opas revealed the Thai man had developed the usual monkeypox…
- Covid-19 News
Favipiravir: DMS says Thai Covid study contradicts US study
A top respiratory specialist in Thailand spoke out on Friday about a study in the Clinical Infectious Diseases Journal last month saying that not only does the antiviral medication Favipiravir not seem to help fight Covid-19, but it can lead to patients getting gout. Now the Department of Medical Sciences is defending the use of Favipiravir in Thailand to treat…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand has 5 BA.2.75 antibody-resistant Covid-19 sub-variant
Health authorities are now keeping a close eye on the development of five confirmed infections of the Covid-19 sub-variant BA.2.75, known to be antibody resistant. The director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences outlined all the cases and warned that the sub-variant could spread quickly if not properly monitored. “Officials are monitoring the development of the sub-variant. If the strain…
- Thailand News
Thailand says 40 year old smallpox vaccines are effective against monkeypox
Thailand has a stockpile of smallpox vaccines in cold storage which were produced more than 40 years ago in 1979 and 1980. Not only are the vaccines still effective against smallpox, but they are 85% effective against monkeypox too, according to Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences (DMS). The vaccines could be used in the instance that the global monkeypox outbreak…
- Covid-19 News
WHO warning of infectious Omicron sub-variants has Thai officials on high alert
Thai health officials are on high alert after at least 1 foreign national was found to be infected with an Omicron sub-variant that has the potential to cause severe illness. The Bangkok Post reports that Supakit Sirilak from the Department of Medical Sciences says the World Health Organisation has issued a warning about 3 highly infectious Omicron sub-variants, known as…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand reports 9 cases of new Omicron BA.2 subvariant
Thailand has detected the nine cases of the new Omicron subvariant BA.2, which is spreading across the globe with at least 40 countries reporting infections involving the mutated strain. The infections in Thailand involve both Thais and travellers from overseas. Through the laboratory procedure of whole-genome sequencing, Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences and participating laboratories detected the BA.2 infections. The…
- Covid-19 News
Omicron variant infections set to surpass 1,000 in Thailand
The highly transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19 has spread quickly in countries throughout the world, and Thailand is no exception. After the first case of Omicron was detected just three weeks ago in the Kingdom, outbreaks and superspreader events saw the case number quickly climb to 200, then 500, then over 700, and now to nearly 1,000 infections. The latest…
- Covid-19 News
Omicron variant spreading rapidly, infections highest in Bangkok, North-East
The Public Health Ministry says the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly in Thailand and has now been confirmed in 33 provinces. Dr Supakit Sirilak says that out of 740 infections, 489 have been imported and the remainder are cases of community transmission. Bangkok currently has the highest number, which Supakit attributes to increased testing at Suvarnabhumi to screen international arrivals.…
- Covid-19 News
Health Ministry: test for Omicron variant before the holidays
Headache? Coughing? Fatigue? Better get tested! The Ministry of Public Health is encouraging the people of Thailand to get tested for Covid-19 before the upcoming holiday period to try to detect, contain, and prevent the spread of the Omicron variant. The ministry asked everyone to check themselves and to be aware of the many symptoms that could possibly be attributed…
- Thailand News
Thailand now equipped to perform 120,000 RT-PCR tests daily
The Department of Medical Sciences has been ramping up their testing capabilities and have declared it can now perform 120,000 RT-PCR Covid-19 tests per day. They say it can complete the tests and offer results within 24 hours at any of their 443 active labs that are certified to conduct the tests. Anyone travelling to Thailand is already required to…
- Covid-19 News
Health official defends quality of antigen test kits, acknowledges shortcomings
The head of the Department of Medical Sciences has defended the quality of Lepu antigen test kits, while acknowledging their limitations. The Bangkok Post reports that Dr Supakit Sirilak was responding to complaints that the kits are less accurate and generate false Covid-19 results. Supakit says the kits are not as reliable as PCR testing in which samples are analysed…
- Covid-19 News
Health Ministry says don’t panic, no cases of Mu variant found in Thailand
Thailand’s Health Ministry says there have been no cases of the Mu variant of Covid-19 reported in the country to date. The World Health Organisation has named Mu – or B.1.621 – as a variant of interest, as it could be more resistant to vaccines. However, the Bangkok Post reports that Dr Supakit Sirilak from the Department of Medical Sciences…
- Covid-19 News
Health officials concede to using rapid antigen tests
Health officials are conceding to using rapid antigen tests on top of using the RT-PCR method to detect cases of Covid. The public Health Ministry is eager to use the rapid antigen test to determine possible infections as Covid cases incessantly rise. Thai media reports that the RT-PCR method would still be employed. The Director General of the DMS, Dr…
- Covid-19 News
Medic warns that Delta variant will be dominant in Thailand by end of July
More than half the Covid-19 infections in Bangkok are the Delta variant, with a prominent doctor warning it will become the dominant strain in the Kingdom within weeks. According to a Bangkok Post report, Supakit Sirilak from the Department of Medical Sciences says the Delta variant, first reported in India, is set to replace the Alpha variant by the end…
