Mizzima News

Chiang Mai (mizzima): One additional person has tested positive for the A (H1N1) virus, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the whole country to 10, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Health.

State-run newspaper, Myanmar Ahlin, today reported that a 57-year-old man, who had returned from Singapore by flight MI-512 on July 20, has tested positive.

Thirteen family members, 74 passengers on the same flight and 130 of Rangoon’s Mingaladon Airport staff are being monitored by Health Department officials, the paper revealed.

According to official statements issued so far, the people, who have tested positive, had all returned from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and India.

The health officials checked over 1.9 million people, who crossed the border gates, according to an official announcement.

However, many people doubt the actual figures and statistics of virus-positive people in the whole country because several hundreds daily cross the porous borders to Burma’s neighboring countries Thailand, China, Bangladesh and India.

Dr. Voravit Suwanvanichkij, Research Associate at the Center for Public Health & Human Rights of John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said there exists an alarming situation in Burma, as most people do not cross the borders into neighbouring countries through official check-points.

Thailand, where the virus is widespread, shares a border line of over 2,000 kilometres, with Burma. With people going in and out of the border area and avoiding the official check-points, along with the lack of public health system, the situation is very alarming, the doctor said.

“With an almost non-functional public health system, most infections are likely to thrive without being diagnosed or even noticed,” he added.

In Thailand, 9000 persons have tested positive and 65 were killed by the A (H1N1) virus. The disease has spread to 170 countries globally and over 130,000 people have tested positive.