Unloaded from Thai cave, boys can still face health problems



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MAE SAI, Thailand – Eight boys rescued from Tham Luang Cave are happy and in good condition, but remain in quarantine and will remain hospitalized for a week due to the risk of rare infections, said doctors Tuesday

. a battery of tests on boys, and x-rays showed that two could have pneumonia. All were treated with antibiotics and received vaccines, including for tetanus and rabies, said Thailand's Permanent Secretary of Public Health, Jesada Chokedamrongsuk

"All eight are in good health, without fever and in a good mood, "said Dr. Jesada. "They miss their home and they are happy."

Specialists who do not care about boys said that even though the risk of serious infection is low, they might be facing d & # 39; 39 other short or long term complications, including The 12 boys aged 11 to 16 and their football coach have been trapped in the cave since 23 June. A team of foreign and Thai divers began extracting them on Sunday, starting with four of the older boys. Four more emerged on Monday, and two of the remaining members of the team were rescued on Tuesday afternoon.

Just like the rescue itself, the close medical care of one of the government's top doctors underscores the unusual nature of the mission. The Young and Their Coach

The boys are now at different stages of recovery after more than two weeks in the dark cave. The first group was able to adapt to normal lighting, but the last group still wear sunglbades, said Dr. Jesada.

All are kept in the same room at Chiangrai Prachanukroh Hospital, the main hospital of Chiang Rai Province.

The four Thai divers who stayed with the boys for more than a week after their discovery in a flooded cave will also be quarantined, said Dr. Thongchai Lertwilairatnapong, a doctor of public health in the northeastern region. Thailand. includes an army doctor, Lt. Col. Dr. Phak Lohanchun, who has been seen in video clips dealing with cuts and abrasions of boys.

The four divers face less risk than boys because they have never suffered from malnutrition. They spent less time in the cave, according to experts.

The parents of the first four rescued boys were allowed to see them through a window, and a similar visit will be arranged for others after the doctors have given their approval, the chief to rescue the operation, Narongsak Osottanakorn, said Tuesday

that Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha visited them Monday when he came to check the rescue operation

Although the probability of serious infection is low, the specialists said to take precautions. the boys contracted a rare disease while they were stuck in the cave.

One of the dangers is to be infected by bats or rodents that they could have met underground. The boys reported seeing no wildlife in the flooded cave where they took refuge, but the doctors were still concerned.

"We have no experience in this kind of deep cavern, but they said they did not see bats," said Dr. Jesada. "Bats can lead to many diseases."

The hospital sent boys' blood samples to a Bangkok laboratory specializing in emerging infectious diseases.

The Nipah virus is a threat that can be transmitted to humans by bats, among others, said medical specialists who are not involved in the treatment of boys.

Potential symptoms range from headaches and fever to severe cases, acute respiratory failure or even death

this virus Nipah is present in Thailand. However, an infectious disease doctor working in the north of the country said that there were only three major known outbreaks in Malaysia, India and Bangladesh

The risk that the group is infected with Nipah virus is extremely weak. in part because the cave is so deep inside the Tham Luang cave system that bats probably avoided it during the rainy season.

Martyn Farr, a cave explorer living in Wales, said he doubted that bats this time of year because they are "intelligent creatures" who are able to flying long distances and who would not want to be locked in flood waters, as the boys were

. Soon, boys may also be at risk of contracting other infections, including leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that is transmitted by rodents and can be transmitted by water, and histoplasmosis, an infection caused by a fungus that lives in the soil. excrement.

"However, these infections are not contagious, which means that human-to-human transmission is not possible, or transmission can be extremely rare," she said in an email.

Relatively minor ailments – minor scrapes, for example, or bacterial infections taken from contaminated water – could become a problem for boys because their immune system was likely compromised during their trial, stated medical specialists.

"When you are walking around and you are moving along an irregular tunnel-dug road and you slip or stumble, the first thing you will do is put your hand or your arm on the nearest piece of wall ", said Mr. Farr by phone." And these walls, in the caves, can be very sharp. "

However, the treatment of the boy's cuts and abrasions by Dr. Phak after his arrival at the cavern would have

Soon, boys may eventually experience anxiety, panic attacks, recurring nightmares, phobias, or other symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jesada said the psychologists had started visiting the boys to help them deal with the trauma of being trapped in the cave.

All of these precautions mean that parents who wait for the reto Boys must keep their distance. parents look at the boys through a window, "said Dr. Jesada." When there is confirmation that there is no infection, we will allow parents to visit the boys. "

Doctors monitor the diet of boys, who received high-protein foods after being found in the cave but at the hospital, a doctor approved the boys' request for bread with of chocolate spread, officials said, but rejected another request for a favorite dish, the krapao pad, or basil pork

now, they are mostly stuck with rice porridge

Richard C. Paddock reported from Mae Sai, and Mike Ives from Hong Kong Navaon Siradapuvadol contributed to Mae Sai reports

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