Effectiveness of Private-Sector Network for Surveillance Prevention and Control MERS-CoV in the Middle East Travelers in Bangkok

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a private sector network in performing surveillance, prevention and control of Coronavirus Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) among travelers from the Middle East to Bangkok, Thailand. The target groups were hotel executives/hotel managers, pharmacy owners, clinic owners, and caretakers of mosques. The study was conducted in Nana community of Klongtoey Sub-district, Wattana District, Bangkok, from June 2015 to July 2016. Data were collected by in-depth interview and focus group discussion. It was found that the network could perform surveillance and risk management of MERS-CoV through the following approaches: (1) System management – hotel executives assigned hotel managers to be main coordinators with all divisions of the hotel and with outside organizations. There were meetings to clarify and assign duties to each division. (2) Risk management – they could manage to separate suspected travelers and took good care of normal customers. They provided an isolation zone for those suspected of infection. (3) Data management – they evaluated symptoms of travelers by using evaluation forms; and listed the names of new travelers who came from the Middle East as well as the name list of suspected travelers. Moreover, they also reported the suspected cases to the Office of Disease Prevention and Control 1, Bangkok, for collecting in the database. (4) Communication and public relations – they distributed information leaflets and posters about MERS-CoV and publicized in the community via wire broadcasting. The network’s performance was found to be effective as there was no report of any suspected MERS-CoV patients in the community. The most significant factor for disease prevention was the rapid coordination. The network could report any suspicion via many channels round the clock. Furthermore, the executives also paid attention and helped supporting the operations. Thus, creating volunteer teams in the community is useful, and it should be carried out continuously as they have good understanding of the cultures and languages of the Middle East; and they can communicate better with travelers from those countries. In addition, the number of government officers is not enough for providing such services. In conclusion, it is necessary to enhance and promote the creation of private sector networks in the risk areas so that they can perform surveillance, prevent and control of MERS-CoV. Besides, they can expand the platform for surveillance, prevention and control of MERS-CoV to cover other private sector networks that have travelers from the Middle East countries in order to increase coverage to all areas of Thailand.