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Thailand to implement health checks for haj pilgrims

Thailand will impose strict health measures on its Muslim citizens going on the haj pilgrimage to stop the spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers), officials said today.

The government predicts that over 10,000 Thai Muslims will travel to Saudi Arabia in September to visit the holiest site in Islam.

“We have no plans to stop them,” said an official at the Public Health Ministry’s permanent secretary’s office who asked not to be named. “However, we will have measures in place to deal with their journey and return.”

Among the measures are plans to vaccinate all pilgrims before they leave for flu and yellow fever, the sending of ministry doctors to accompany the pilgrims, and quarantine measures on their return.

“We will monitor the returnees for up to a month, if they show any symptoms of Mers they will be quarantined and isolated immediately,” the official added.

Thailand recorded its first case of Mers last week, when a medical tourist from Oman was found to have the virus and quarantined at an infectious disease hospital.

Three people accompanying him on his visit were also quarantined and tested for the virus but have so far shown up negative.

- dpa

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