THE Central Committee on Monitoring and Prevention of 2019 Novel Coronavirus held its daily coordination meeting (11/2020) at the Ministry of Health and Sports yesterday in Nay Pyi Taw.
Speaking at the meeting, Union Minister for Health Dr Myint Htwe appreciated the China’s treatment to patients who have positive for the disease as the mortality rate is just two per cent.
The number of infection rate is still higher in China and over 28,000 people have been infected with the Corona virus so far.
The Union Minister has also called for reinforcing surveillance as 334 travellers from six planes left from China landed in Myanmar, highlighting that the symptoms of the disease can not be shown as the incubation period of the disease is about 14 days.
“The most important point for our country is that our country shares a 1,300-mile-long border with China and travellers from both countries can cross the border through legal check points and illegal ones,” said the Union Minister.
He urged the health workers of the ministry at the checkpoints to carry out the surveillance tasks in cooperation with officials of other ministries with added momentum.
The Union Minister also stressed the importance of cooperation from the international non-governmental organizations in border areas in surveillance at areas, urging the health authorities to coordinate with the local INGOs to beef up the surveillance.
He also urged the health authorities to make efforts for getting assistance including medicine and medical equipment and laboratory equipment from the UN agencies and partner countries.
Union Minister Dr Myint Htwe also called for distributing Coronavirus infection awareness pamphlets written in Chinese language to hotels, guest houses and places where travellers from China mostly stay.
He appreciated the health workers for their efforts which resulted in sending information from the public about patients who are suspected of Coronavirus infection, and the health authorities quickly respond the information and visited the patients.
“We must not reduce their kind of efforts,” said the Union Minister, “we must release information on the field trips to the people.”
As part of reinforcing surveillance, the Coronavirus infection awareness pamphlets and posters written in Myanmar and Chinese languages should be distributed to more places including industrial zones and factories where Chinese workers are working.
He also urged the authorities to tighten rules for international travellers saying that those who do not fill the Health Declaration Card at the airports should not be allowed to enter Myanmar.
The points filled in the health declaration card are very important for surveillance, said the Union Minister.
The Union Minister urged the Myanmar citizens not to visit China in efforts for preventing the Coronavirus infection, announcing that his ministry distributed the last therapy for the Coronavirus infection to the Myanmar health professionals yesterday.
He also stressed the importance of inclusiveness at the ministry’s daily meeting inviting two representatives from each the Public Health University (Yangon) and Basic Health University (Magway) and one from the National Laboratory to collect views from different approaches in prevention and fighting the Coronavirus infection.
The Union Minister also appreciated the holding of teleconferencing between the region/state health authorities and district/township medical service personnel.
At the meeting, officials from different departments of the ministry discussed the issues related with prevention and preparation for medical services including updated information from the World Health Organization, assessment to the infection in the world, assessment to the treatment, giving treatment to patients who are monitored under the surveillance and containment strategy, surveillance at the international airports and border checkpoints, stockpiling of medicine and medical equipment, refuting the rumours and sharing updated information among the people.
MNA
(Translated by Kyaw Zin Lin)
PHOTO: MNA
Ref: The Global New Light of Myanmar