Committee: World Health Organization
Topic: Ebola
Country: Thailand
Delegate: Marley Mack
School: Fishers High School
Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) is an uncommon disease with symptoms such as diarrhea, coughing up blood, and muscle pains. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the average fatality rate is 50%, but it can reach as high as 90%. When EVD gets into a community, it can devastate the entire country. It currently has no vaccine and is incredibly contagious. People can get it from touching objects the infected has touched, bodily fluids of the infected, or bites from infected animals and bugs. If the WHO doesn’t work to find vaccines and effective cures for EVD, one outbreak could kill thousands. A possible outbreak could hit hardest in places where there is no trust between the authorities and the people. If someone is showing symptoms of EVD, they need to be brought to medical attention immediately. However, if people do not trust their government and health care authorities, they are less likely to take the necessary safety percussions in dealing with the virus.
Currently, there have been no cases of EVD in Thailand, and the Thai government is making efforts to keep it that way. According to the National News Bureau of Thailand (NNT), there are proposed screenings for the virus at border crossings and international airports. Steps like this would prevent any global spread of the disease into the country. The Department of Disease Control (DDC) in Thailand claims they are monitoring the disease and outbreaks of it in other countries very closely. The DDC has also been working to stop the spread of a disease known as “Pig Ebola” or African Swine Fever (ASF). Although ASF cannot transmit to humans, it has cost the meat industry billions of dollars. Thailand has one of the leading pork industries in Asia, so this disease would significantly affect the economy. According to the Straits Time, the Thai government has put new border checkpoints in place, cracked down on illegal slaughterhouses, and has new, stricter requirements for tracking pig deaths to prevent the spread of ASF.
Thailand is working hard to prevent the spread of any EVD into the country. They are an excellent example of what counties should do to battle their disease. Thailand thinks the WHO could encourage all members of the United Nations to impose stronger border checkpoints so EVD cannot travel internationally. In case there is an outbreak, WHO could create an educational program for medical professionals in third world countries that provides proper training on what to do in an emergency involving EVD.
- Marley Mack
