virus

  • Covid-19 News

    Thailand’s new Covid-19 strain, KP.2, spreads faster than JN.1

    Thailand is set to see the KP.2 strain of Covid-19 become the dominant variant, with increased transmissibility and challenges for vaccine efficacy. However, the symptoms will not be more severe than those of previous strains, according to a prominent virologist. Yong Poovorawan from the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University announced on Facebook that the KP.2 strain…

  • Health

    Exploring Selank peptide in infection research

    Researchers have examined the synthetic peptide Selank for possible impacts on the immune system. In this piece, we examine how Selank may affect infections. It has been postulated that Selank may be able to modify immunological responses, improve antiviral activity, and impact inflammatory processes. These theories and the function of the peptide in infection control need further investigation. The heptapeptide…

  • Thailand News

    Ground pork contaminated with African swine fever uncovered

    The Department of Health disclosed that samples of ground pork seized in a raid on three illicit factories in Nakhon Pathom province have tested positive for the African Swine Fever (ASF) virus. The unsettling announcement came hot on the heels of a meticulous investigation conducted by local police forces and health authorities in the Mueang district. Department of Health Director-General…

  • Thailand News

    British scientist’s findings suggest new cave virus in Thailand

    In the heart of Thailand, a cave harbours a virus with an eerie connection to Covid-19, and Dr Peter Daszak, a renowned expert in zoonosis, is sounding the alarm. Previously dismissed lab leak theories resurface as this cave virus, linked to both SARS-CoV-2 and RATG13, raises questions about its potential to infect humans. Hailing from Dukinfield, near Manchester, Dr Daszak,…

  • Phuket News

    Rising Zika virus cases alarm health officials in Phuket

    Phuket’s Provincial Health Office (PPHO) sounded the alarm over rising cases of Zika virus, particularly in Rawai, Phuket. The warning was triggered by a long-standing expatriate, expressing alarm over the increasing number of infections in the Saiyuan area. In response to these concerns, the Rawai Municipality took swift action, testing all occupants of one house. The expatriates detailed their efforts.…

  • Thailand News

    HPV vaccination drive: Thailand aims to inoculate 1 million young women

    The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) in Thailand is on a mission: to vaccinate one million young women against the human papillomavirus (HPV) within 100 days. This ambitious initiative is part of a national campaign aiming to safeguard the health of the country’s female population. The campaign’s life-saving work began at Plookpanya School in Phuket Town, where 200 female…

  • Thailand News

    BMA takes a stand: Puts its foot (and mouth) down on disease spread in Bangkok schools

    In an urgent preventive move, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) mandated all schools across the Thai capital to implement stringent measures to curb the spread of hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and dengue fever. This decision comes amid unsettling reports of these viruses evolving into wide-reaching epidemics among school-aged children. Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt yesterday highlighted the importance…

  • Covid-19 News

    Thailand’s public health minister says Chinese tourists won’t be discriminated against

    Thailand’s Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, says the country’s plans to re-introduce Covid-19 related measures won’t discriminate against Chinese travellers. He then went on to say that the measures won’t discriminate against any particular country. But, the government is expected to finalise measures that would apply to visitors arriving from Covid-plagued countries, which include China. “Relevant officials agree to give…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand prepares for monkeypox outbreak, asks WHO for smallpox vaccine supply

    Thailand’s health minister has asked the World Health Organisation for help securing supplies of the smallpox vaccine, according to a Bangkok Post report. It’s understood the country wants to be prepared in the event of an outbreak of monkeypox. Health minister Anutin Charnvirakul made the request while in talks with WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus at the recent 75th World…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand raises monkeypox alert level to “requiring close surveillance”

    The Public Health Ministry has raised its alert level for the monkeypox virus, classifying it as a communicable disease requiring close surveillance. This is despite no cases of the virus having been reported in the country to date. However, according to a Bangkok Post report, Dr Chakrarat Pittayawonganon from the Department of Disease Control says the virus is far less…

  • Thailand News

    Thai health ministry sets up monkeypox monitoring centre

    Thailand is creating a new emergency centre to monitor the spread of monkeypox, which has now been detected in at least 12 countries, although in very small numbers at this stage. The Bangkok Post reports that Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong, virologist and director-general of the ministry’s Department of Disease Control says Thai health officials are closely monitoring the outbreak, even if…

  • Covid-19 News

    New Covid-19 variants of Omicron “are more infectious”

    Three new Omicron sub variants have the ability to spread Covid-19 faster and infect the lungs… this warning from the World Health Oraganisation, according to Ramathibodi Hospital’s Centre for Medical Genomics. The World Health Organisation and several scientists across the globe have been keeping track of the three sub-variants, including in the US and South Africa, for some time. BA.4,…

  • Covid-19 News

    Omicron BA.2 projected to become Thailand’s dominant strain within 2 weeks

    The BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron will take over Thailand and become the new dominant strain of Covid-19, according to the Thai Medical Science Department. Last week, the department did a diagnosis of Covid-19 infections and discovered that the BA.2 sub-variant accounted for 96% of reported cases, while the BA.1 sub-variant accounted for a mere 4% of cases, according to the…

  • Covid-19 News

    Thailand’s 1330 hotline primed for post Songkran spike in Covid-19 infections

    With Songkran holiday just around the corner, the National Health Security Office, or NHSO, is ready to deal with an expected increase in Covid-19 cases with it’s 1330 emergency hotline. The number of new infections in Thailand is expected to increase after the Thai New Year, according to NHSO deputy secretary-general Atthaporn Limpanyalert. Vulnerable groups can dial 1330 ext 18…

  • Covid-19 News

    Omicron BA.2 is expected to dominate infections in Malaysia

    Malaysia’s health director-general warned in a statement on Monday that the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron will likely become dominant in the country, raising concerns about its possible high rate of transmission. Omicron has started to overtake Delta as the major coronavirus strain in Malaysia, according to continuing research and tracking. Cases that involve BA.2 increased to 27% between March 1…

  • Covid-19 News

    NeoCoV could be ‘3 times more lethal’ than Covid-19, IF it gains key mutation for humans

    Chinese researchers in Wuhan have sounded the alarm on a species of known bat coronavirus that could potentially be 3 times more fatal than Covid-19, the Thai Public Health Commission’s Vice Chairman Chalermchai Boonyaleephan stated yesterday. If the virus were to mutate and make its way to human populations, it could turn into “Covid-22” and eventually be crowned “MERS-CoV-2,” Boonyaleephan said.…

  • Covid-19 News

    Fear over Covid in India has some washing themselves with cow dung

    Fears over Covid-19 has some people in India, bathing themselves in cow feces. Doctors, however, warn that there is no evidence that cow dung is effective at curing the novel coronavirus and even warn of other diseases that can be acquired from the bacteria and germs in the feces. The pandemic has brought widespread devastation to India, with 22.66 million…

  • Covid-19 News

    “Bangkok Hilton” to make field hospitals for Covid-infected prisoners

    Klong Prem Central Prison, in Bangkok, is making field hospitals for Covid-infected prisoners to help curb the spread of the virus. The Corrections Department is converting 5 buildings at the “Bangkok Hilton” in Chatuchak district to operate as hospitals, offering 500 beds in total. The prison would act as a home base for new arrivals who test positive for the…

  • Covid-19 News

    Food delivery companies and customers receive new Covid health measures to abide by

    Thailand’s food delivery services and customers, especially in its capital of Bangkok, are now having to follow 4 additional health measures to help curb the spread of Covid-19. The Director-General of the Department of Disease Control handed down the orders after meeting with food delivery company representatives. The new measures include stricter supervision of employees to ensure that they are…

  • Covid-19 News

    Thai government mulling more relief packages in light of Covid-19 third wave

    Thailand’s government is mulling more relief packages to help counteract the country’s third wave of Covid-19. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has told all economic agencies to fast-track their assessments of how the third wave has impacted the economy, a requirement that must be completed before new relief packages can be detailed. Once the packages have been created, the Centre for Covid-19…

  • Tourism News

    Pattaya bar owners waiting for CCSA to allow later closing hours

    Pattaya bar owners are waiting for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration to allow businesses to close at later times, as a decision is expected today to reveal new provincial risk assessments. If Chon Buri province, which features Pattaya, is determined to be a “green” zone by the CCSA, the businesses would be allowed to stay open past midnight, with…

  • Covid-19 News

    Thailand government hopes to reopen by October

    Thailand is hoping to open its doors to the world by October this year, according to an assistant spokesperson at the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. But there are still several hoops to jump through, with the spokesperson treading carefully with her words. Apisamai Srirangsan made the announcement but said the revelation was just a goal and “not a set…

  • Covid-19 News

    Did the Covid-19 virus actually originate in Thailand? | VIDEO

    South East Asia was the source of Covid-19, not China. Even more specifically, it came from Thailand… from the famous Chatuchak market, or, as quoted correctly “a market LIKE Chatuchak”. That’s the claims of a Danish epidemiologist Thea Kolsen Fischer, who was on a recent World Health Organisation fact-finding mission to Wuhan to examine the origins of the latest coronavirus…

  • Thailand News

    Thai PM walkout, easing of covid restrictions | February 19

    Thailand News Today Police have arrested a man in Samut Prakan, southeast of central Bangkok, for allegedly possessing war weapons and attempting to sell assault rifles online through Instagram. The “dewaffen” Instagram page for “Oz John Woo” has an eclectic combination of cat photos and gun photos. The bio says “military support/ small arms import/export service. Life is limited, please…

  • Covid-19 News

    Covid lockdown in Pathum Thani district, just north of Bangkok | VIDEO

    Whilst migrant dormitories and parts of the seafood markets in Samut Sakhon remain either in complete lockdown or as restricted areas, and the affected gambling dens in Rayong have magically disappeared, the focus of the current Covid outbreak has now turned to Pathum Thani… just north of Bangkok and probably better known as the province that hosts the Buddhist Dhammakaya…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today | Home-made Thai vaccine ready to start trials | February 11

    Thailand’s Health Minister, Anutin, is now claiming that the first stage of human trials of a locally-produced vaccine brew will get underway next month. The local Thai vaccine is a joint collaboration between the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation and the Faculty of Tropical Medicine of Mahidol University. It’s understood the vaccine has performed satisfactorily in animal testing, showing an ability to…

  • Covid-19 News

    Craft beer association proposes rules for re-opening Bangkok bars

    The Craft Beer Association has proposed new rules in the hope that Bangkok’s bars might be allowed to re-open after a month-long closure aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19. The rules include limiting drinks to 2 per customer, limiting sitting time to 90 minutes, and banning dancing and toasts. The association says it has come up with the rules…

  • Covid-19 News

    Most Thai provinces have been Covid-free for 7 days – CCSA

    The government’s Covid-19 task force says 46 Thai provinces have had no new case of Covid-19 for 7 days. Taweesilp Visanuyothin from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says another 14 provinces have not recorded any infections at all in the latest outbreak. However, both the central province of Maha Sarakham, and the northern province of Tak, have recorded a…

  • Thailand News

    Phuket eases restrictions, bars back to late-night hours

    Things are getting back to normal in Phuket. The provincial government eased disease control restrictions, allowing restaurants, bars and entertainment venues to go back to their normal operating hours – no more midnight closure order – and lifting the late-night alcohol ban. While bars can now stay open late and serve alcohol after midnight, dancing is prohibited and venues cannot…

  • Thailand video news

    Thailand News Today | Thailand’s vaccination roll-out | January 26

    Bangkok restaurants may soon be allowed to stay open a little later. Health officials are considering easing up Covid-19 prevention measures by extending restaurant dine-in closing times to 11pm. If the proposal gets the green light, it may lead to the lifting of the alcohol ban. After the order of shutting entertainment venues and banning alcohol sales in Bangkok, Samut…