PATTAYA, Thailand – Officials from Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, together with disease prevention and veterinary teams from Pattaya City, carried out a field operation to collect bat samples in the Naklua area as part of routine disease surveillance.
The operation follows a planning meeting held on Tuesday, Jan. 27, involving the Pattaya Disease Prevention and Control Division, the municipal veterinary unit, Banglamung District Public Health Office, Banglamung Livestock Office, and the Department of National Parks Region 6 in Sri Racha. The agencies jointly agreed on measures to collect biological samples from fruit bats that have inhabited the area of Naklua Soi 18/1 for several decades.
Early on the morning of Jan. 28, at around 5:00 a.m., officials collected urine and droppings from fruit bats at the site. The samples were sent to the Eastern Veterinary Research and Development Center for laboratory testing to screen for the Nipah virus.
Authorities said the results will be reported to senior officials once testing is completed. They emphasized that the sampling is part of standard monitoring procedures and advised the public not to disturb wildlife or come into contact with bats or their waste.
