There seems little doubt that the type-A (H1N1) flu pandemic is going to get worse before
it gets better. It is also clear that there is not much that governments can do except to let it run
its course, keep the public well informed and trust that an effective and safe vaccine arrives in
October and is made available to those who would be in danger without it.
The time for sweeping containment measures has passed and that includes the scary
suggestion by some doctors at Chulalongkorn Hospital that borders should be closed. This was
rejected by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva for good reason. The virus has already taken hold
here, just as it has in other countries, and panic measures like this would merely wreck the
economy and sound the death knell for tourism. The national interest and the global interest are
the same when it comes to combating this particular flu bug.
Shutting down tutorial schools for a couple of weeks will prevent or delay cases among an
especially high-risk group but the measure is unlikely to make much difference in the long term.
However, it is understandable that the governing coalition feels it has to be seen to take some
positive action, if only to fend off mounting opposition criticism. It is probably too much to hope
that these students will spend their windfall holiday studying at home and not in riding packed
buses or other mass transit to visit shopping malls and crowded cinemas where chances of
infection are almost as high. The situation will improve once a vaccine becomes available for
those at risk.