THE SITUATION OF SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM AND MECHANISMS FOR PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES IN THE COMMUNITY AT THE CHECK POINT FOR THAI-MYANMAR BORDER TRADE OF MAE SAI DISTRICT, CHIANGRAI PROVINCE

Abstract

This study was the mixed method research aimed to examine the situation of the surveillance system and the mechanisms for prevention and control of communicable diseases in the community at the checkpoint for the Thai-Myanmar border trade of Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai province. For the quantitative study, the sample size was 1,127 people recruited through the equation with a finite population and systematic random sampling. The qualitative study was conducted with 20 people by using purposive random sampling. The instrument used in this study was a questionnaire of which validation was approved by experts. The quantitative data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The qualitative data were collected by observation, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions and analyzed with text and the methods of triangulation. The results revealed that the samples were male (44.6%) and female (55.4%) with an average age of 49.6 years. Most of the samples were Buddhists (97.4%), graduated from primary school (50.8%), employed (47.5%), and married (62.8%). For the illness and alternatives of self-care in the previous 6 months, the sample had an illness (9.1%), hospitalized (2.3%), first admitted to government hospitals (46.9%) with a reason for the convenient voyage (67.5%), cheap of medical fees (11.0%), and primarily uses motorcycle (63.1%). In addition, they mostly had known the crucial of important communicable diseases in the area, but they did not know about hand, foot, and mouth disease (16.3%). For the notification of crucial communicable diseases in the community, 14.5% of them got notified about COVID-19 at the highest notification rate of 87.8%, and diarrhea at the lowest notification rate of 73.6%. It was discovered that there were communicable disease surveillance systems and the prevention and control of cross-border communicable diseases at border trade checkpoints, there was no screening system in place for cross-border patients. It was suggested that community leaders help to design a screening mechanism. The sharing of data or the return of information was defensive. The data recovery system complaint could not be found to meet international requirements. The referral method for transferring patients across borders through international disease control checkpoints by volunteer rescue vehicles was found to be troubled by language and communication obstacles that exist among individuals with distinct ethnic backgrounds.