health

  • Covid-19 News

    Billions of baht thrown at domestic tourism

    The coronavirus pandemic has nearly killed tourism in Thailand. Now, Thai authorities are giving some life to domestic travel by rewarding health volunteers with a free holiday as well as subsidising hotel and transportation costs. 3 stimulus packages worth 22.4 billion baht are planned to boost up the industry and are set to run from July to October. The money comes…

  • Crime News

    State hospital investigation into ‘suspicious’ drug company donations

    More than a hundred hospitals will be investigated for allegedly receiving what health officials are describing as “suspicious” donations from pharmaceutical companies. The hospitals allegedly had a deal with the some of the drug companies – hospitals get a 5% discount and the rebate would be sent back to the hospital, labelling it as a “donation”. The 186 hospitals being investigated…

  • Thai Life

    Thai doctors warn about the dangers of fashion braces

    Those in Western countries don’t typically look back fondly on teenage years with a mouth full of braces and painful trips to the orthodontist. But in Thailand, having braces is seen as a symbol of wealth. They’ve even become a fashion trend with many fake braces being sold illegally (yes, really!). Thai doctors are warning about the risk of serious…

  • Covid-19 News

    Thai Red Cross donates millions of cloth face masks

    The Thai Red Cross donated millions of cloth masks to protect health volunteers and Thailand Post workers from a possible return of the coronavirus. Red Cross chapters throughout Thailand will distribute around 7 million masks to the public. Around 2 million of the masks will go to Village Health Volunteers, a longtime charity group that helps people in remote areas…

  • Covid-19 News

    WHO expert calls comments on asymptomatic virus transmission a “misunderstanding”

    After stirring some controversy with comments about asymptomatic transmission of the virus being “very rare”, a World Health Organisation Covid-19 expert has rushed to explain herself. In a Q&A session on social media, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, says there is no definitive answer yet as to whether or not such transmission is rare but indicated that real world data showed…

  • Northern Thailand News

    Thailand’s health volunteers are ‘unsung heroes’ WHO rep says

    Thailand’s village health volunteers have been deemed “unsung heroes” in the coronavirus pandemic by a World Health Organisation representative for Thailand. “The volunteers have helped keep the number of cases low by educating villagers about the virus and prevention measures as well as collecting temperatures.” While Thailand had the first coronavirus case outside of China, the country has not been…

  • Covid-19 News

    “No evidence of Covid-19 losing potency” – WHO experts dismiss claims of Italian scientist

    There is no evidence that the Covid-19 virus has been losing potency. A high profile Italian doctor made the assertions on Sunday. But the World Health Organisation and a range of other noted scientists say there was no evidence to support the assertion. Professor Alberto Zangrillo, the head of intensive care at the San Raffaele Hospital in Lombardy, Italy, told…

  • Northern Thailand News

    Dozens get hospitalised after eating raw meat salad

    Dozens of Northern Thailand villagers became sick after eating raw buffalo meat and were treated for food poisoning at local hospitals. All 79 people treated ate the raw buffalo meat. The meat was sold in beef stalls at wet markets in Phayao Province next to Chiang Rai, Thai media reports. Some people bought the meat, possibly thinking it was beef,…

  • Crime News

    Police say mom forced toddler to drink bleach “to make him look ill”

    Police in in Pathum Thani, just north of Bangkok, have arrested a woman for allegedly forcing her toddler to swallow bleach to make him look ill for an online advertisement selling her health products. A police source says the boy has been rescued and is now under the care of a shelter for children in the province. The mother, identified…

  • Covid-19 News

    Global coronavirus infections top 5 million

    “We still have a long way to go in this pandemic. In the last 24 hours, there have been 106,000 cases reported to WHO, the most in a single day since the outbreak began.” The Covid-19 coronavirus has infected more than 5 million people worldwide since the beginning of the outbreak, as the World Health Organisation yesterday reported highest number…

  • Covid-19 News

    “Amazing Trusted Thailand” – tourism rebrands

    International tourists still can’t enter Thailand, so the country is using this time to rebrand their tourism promotions. The aim is to add some “trust” in regards to the country’s health profile with hopes that tourists will visit Thailand worry-free. Tourism is going from the “Amazing Thailand” brand to “Amazing Trusted Thailand.” The intention is that they want tourists to…

  • Northern Thailand News

    Dengue fever on the rise in Isaan

    While the country is slowly getting a handle on containing the coronavirus pandemic, the Isaan region is tackling a bout of dengue fever. There’s been a rise of the mosquito-borne illness in Nakhon Ratchasima with 737 cases. Local health volunteers have ramped up initiatives to prevent the further spread of the disease. Abate sand granules are being used to kill mosquito…

  • Covid-19 News

    No sex for a month, Thai disease expert claims

    Coronavirus survivors should wait a month before they get ‘intimate’. At least that’s what one Thai medical expert is saying. No sex for 30 days. For some, that may be worse than 14 days of quarantine. “Semen of recovering might carry the virus”, according to Veerawat Manosutthi, senior medical expert at the Disease Control Department, told Khaosod English. The claim is found…

  • Covid-19 News

    WHO spokesman: Covid-19 may never be wiped out

    As nations around the world begin gradually lifting lockdown restrictions enacted to stem the spread of Covid-19, the World Health Organisation is warning that the virus may never be completely wiped out. The virus was first detected in Wuhan in China in December last year and has now infected more than 4.3 million people and killed nearly 300,000 worldwide. The WHO’s…

  • Covid-19 News

    Bangkok’s largest international hospital hurts from halt in medical tourism

    The coronavirus outbreak has hospitals across the world at their limits, but at one Thailand’s largest and most famous hospitals, the number of patients has been cut in half. Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok heavily relies on medical tourism. Since the pandemic has ground much of international travel to a halt, Bumrungrad is getting hit hard. 50% of the patients at…

  • Covid-19 News

    Health officials say they’re ready for a “second wave” of Covid-19

    As countries around the world start to ease some of the restrictions put in place to stop the spread of Covid-19, the fear of a “second wave” persists. Now a report in Nation Thailand says healthcare officials in Thailand are using the lessons from the past fews months, in the treatment of Covid-19 patients, tracing and testing, and are prepared…

  • World News

    Covid-19 hotline for forgotten migrant workers

    45 year old Maw la Myine is from Myanmar and works for NGO Thai Raks, educating his community about public health issues such as HIV and TB. And now, Covid-19. Maw has a gift for languages, having been a volunteer Mon language teacher to children at home. His ability to speak Thai led to him becoming a translator, liaising between…

  • Covid-19 News

    Government health official warns of near-certainty of “second wave” of Covid-19

    With the easing of some restrictions put in place to slow and eventually halt the spread of the Covid-19 virus, a government health official is now warning of the rise of a “second wave” from next week is “inevitable”. Nation Thailand reports that the Director of the Division of Communicable Diseases issued his warning yesterday, saying an increase in the…

  • Health

    Obesity on the rise in the Land of Smiles

    Thailand has a health problem and it appears to be an even bigger concern than the current Covid-19 pandemic. The World Health Organisation says nearly one third of the Thai population is now overweight and 9% of the country is obese. Malaysia currently holds the dubious honour of having the highest obesity rate in Southeast Asia – but Thailand is…

  • Covid-19 News

    Public mental health a government concern during Covid crisis

    Following a spike in suicides and suicide attempts nationwide, thought to be largely due to the twin burdens of unemployment and isolation, the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has expressed concern about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the mental health of the public. Reuters reported yesterday that one woman, frustrated that she hadn’t received the 5,000 baht…

  • Covid-19 News

    Mass exodus as 40,000 people departing Phuket

    Since the announcement that people in Phuket could leave the island and return to their home provinces, people have been spilling out of the island since 5 am this morning (the daily curfew lifted at 4am) creating long traffic jams and queues at Tha Chatchai checkpoint. After registrations on Wednesday, over 40,000 people have signed up for the mass exodus…

  • Politics News

    North Korean leader reportedly in “vegetative state”

    For days the government of North Korea has been tight-lipped as speculation about the health of the nation’s leader Kim Jong-un’s health spreads. Now the Japanese weekly magazine Shukan Gendai is reporting that a failed surgery has left the 36 year old in a vegetative state. American celebrity tabloid website TMZ has gone a step further and claimed he’s actually…

  • Covid-19 News

    Health Minister wants Thailand’s Covid-19 vaccine trials speeded up

    PHOTO: CDC on Unsplash Back in the news again, Thailand’s expect-the-unexpected Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, says he wants to see trials of a homegrown Covid-19 vaccine speeded up. Thai PBS World reports that Anutin wants to cut the current six month development period in half, saying guidelines for vaccine development must be completed in three months if production is set…

  • Covid-19 News

    Doctors advise 5-step plan to re-opening Thailand

    14 Thai doctors have sent a message to Thailand’s Government alerting them to the dangers of a premature easing of travel restrictions and closures around the country. Meanwhile pressure is mounting from people and hawkish businesses to reopen the schools, open the shop doors, restaurants and shopping centres. The group of doctors submitted a 5-point proposal. The government says it…

  • Politics News

    Thai Health Minister demands apology for inflammatory comments

    Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has criticised fellow Bhumjaithai Party member Boonkua Pussatevo for a Facebook comment that, according to The Nation, translates loosely to “stupid citizens will lead us to death” and has asked for a public apology over the comments. The remarks follows a computer glitch affecting the distribution of the 5,000 baht assistance many citizens were expecting.…

  • Covid-19 News

    80 Thai health workers confirmed with Covid-19 virus

    A spokesman for the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin reported that the coronavirus crisis has taken a grave toll on the country’s medical staff, with 80 infected so far by the virus since January. Coronavirus among medical staff has now accounted for 3.4 % of the total 2,258 confirmed cases in Thailand. Of the 80 confirmed…

  • Covid-19 News

    Grab Food launches ‘contactless delivery’

    Today, GrabFood has introduced the “contactless delivery” to ensure the hygiene and health of customers during the Covid-19 crisis. Tarin Thaniyavarn of Grab Thailand says, “Grab has been closely monitoring the Covid-19 situation and is prepared to execute any necessary measures to promote safety standards for everyone involved.” GrabFood and its restaurant providers have also reevaluated safety guidelines… Drivers will…

  • Technology News

    What is 5G? Everything you should know about the next-gen mobile.

    So what is 5G? 5G literally means fifth-generation wireless technology. The successor to 4G, the biggest changes include higher speeds, lower latency, and the ability to connect more devices at once. The benefits of 5G aren’t limited to its use. Qualcomm is predicting a $12.3 trillion economic boost worldwide, with 22 million new jobs thanks to both the infrastructure and…

  • Covid-19 News

    Thai healthcare worker tests positive for COVID-19 coronavirus

    In a first, a Thai healthcare worker was diagnosed with the COVID-19 coronavirus yesterday. The new case brings the country’s total confirmed cases to 34 since the outbreak. Fourteen patients have recovered and returned home. Thailand has so far not recorded a fatality from the virus. The director-general of the Department of Disease Control told a news conference today that…

  • Covid-19 News

    Coronavirus UPDATE: More Chinese cities restrict travel, Thailand checking land borders

    The death toll from the novel coronavirus has grown to 80 today. The entire Hubei Province is now in the largest health ‘lockdown’ ever mounted in modern medical history with tight controls of who or what is inbound or outbound from the central Chinese province, plus severe restrictions on movement in place in several other Chinese cities. The number of deaths…

  • Technology News

    Everything you need to know about 5G

    by Live Tiles 5G literally refers to the fifth-generation of wireless technology, following on from 3G and 4G. The biggest changes will bring users higher speeds, lower latency, and the chance to connect more devices at once. Speed, for example, will provide almost instantaneous transfers across the internet, faster than the human reaction time. So something like a livestream of…

  • Expats

    Retiring in Thailand, most of the things you need to know

    Please note: The information in this document is provided as a guide only. You should always check the latest information with a Thai Immigration official or professional visa agent. Thailand remains a popular world location for retirees – the beaches, climate, access to good medical care and great food. There may be a few more potholes in the roads and…

  • Food

    Fish sauce excluded from Thailand’s proposed tax on salty foods

    PHOTO: Cook’s Illustrated Thailand’s Excise Department and Public Health Ministry is considering a levy on salty foods in an attempt to tackle the sodium-rich diets of Thai citizens, and the health consequences. The director general of the Excise Department, Patchara Anuntasilpa says the tax would be calculated based on the amount of salt in a product, with the proposal being…

  • Health

    Fire up the barbecue – red meat’s ok. New study.

    “They added that the quality of evidence linking processed meat with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes was very low.” by Ivan Couronne Cutting back on red meat is standard medical advice to prevent cancer and heart disease over recent decades. But a review of dozens of studies now concludes that the potential risk is low and evidence “uncertain”. In new guidelines…

  • Environment News

    24 Thai provinces under observation in African swine flu alert

    PHOTO: AFP Sorawit Thaneto, Director General of Thailand’s Livestock Department, says 23 provinces are now being checked for African Swine Fever, as the epidemic takes hold in Asia. There is no vaccine or cure for African Swine Fever and although it’s not thought to pose a risk to humans, it can inflict huge financial damage on the farming industry. It’s…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand’s Department for Disease Control issues Chikungunya warning

    PHOTO: www.wikipedia.com Dr Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai from the Department of Disease Control says over 10 people in central Thailand have contracted chikungunya since July, and urges people to take precautions, saying those with high fever and joint pain should seek medical advice without delay. In total, since the beginning of the year, 7,481 people have been treated for chikungunya, with all…

  • Bangkok News

    Dengue fever in Thailand: 3 dead in Bangkok since January 2019

    PHOTO: Tripsavvy.com Bangkok Metropolitan Administration governor Aswin Kwanmuang says 4,903 residents have been infected with the dengue virus so far this year, with 3 deaths. In 2011, there were 10 deaths, with 8,699 having contracted the virus, so while there has been noticeable improvement, the current rate of infection is still worrying. Governor Aswin says that the areas which have…