The Township Peace and Development Council held a meeting yesterday about A(H1N1) in their Three Pagodas Pass office.

On the heels of reported cases from nearby townships, such as Sangkhlaburi, Thailand, residents worry about the outbreak of A(H1N1), colloquially referred to as Swine Flu.

Several members from 25 different Burmese governmental organizations joined the meeting. They included the Myanmar Women's Affairs Organization (MWAF), the People’s Militia force, the fire brigade, the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), and the health department, along with various quarter headmen and school officers.

“Because of A(H1N1) found in Sangkhlaburi Kanchanaburi province, people in TPP [Three Pagodas Pass] worry the virus will spread to TPP, so the TPDC and the health department held a meeting to explain to people how to prevent A(H1N1) from spreading and how to care for yourself,” said a resident who attended the meeting.

Last Thursday, one household found a confirmed case of A(H1N1) in Sangkhlaburi and a second has yet to be confirmed. They are being treated in Sangkhlaburi hospital. Sources told IMNA that many TPP shopkeepers now sell surgical masks to protect from A(H1N1).

TPP is a border township with many tourist visits everyday, and Sangkhlaburi is only 20 kilometers away from TPP Township.

“The TPP health department tests people who go to the Thai side [the smaller trading town in Thailand]; yesterday they tested from 1 p.m. until nighttime and today they are testing [for] A(H1N1) disease the whole day,” said another TPP resident.

According to health department staff, many people are suffering fever in TPP during the rainy season, a greater number than last year.