The eight Thai boys rescued from the caves over the weekend and Monday were quickly taken to the hospital and put in isolation rooms as medical teams evaluate the strain on their bodies from almost two weeks underground.
Four boys and their 25-year-old soccer coach still remain trapped underground as an international effort of volunteer divers and elite Thai Navy Seals shuttle back and forth to bring them to safety.
Thirteen fully staffed medical teams were on hand at the start of the operation, one for each of the 12 boys and their coach, Reuters reported.
The eight boys freed from the cave were quickly transferred to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh hospital, where they were put in isolation to determine they are clear of infection, the Guardian reported.
This includes bacterial infection like leptospirosis and meliodsis, the British paper quoted Thai health department official Thongchai Lertwilairattanapong as saying.
“Cave disease” is also a concern, multiple media reported. Its clinical name is histoplasmosis, caused by a fungus that lives in soil that contains large amounts of bird or bat droppings, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
People can contract a histoplasmosis infection by breathing air permeated with the fungus and it can cause fever, cough and fatigue.
Hypothermia is also a concern. The rescued boys had to travel nearly two and a half miles from inside the cave to reach the outside, a path that is partially submerged in fast-flowing freezing water and with peaks and crevices extremely difficult to fit through.
CNN reported that the boys wore multiple wetsuits to keep warm.
Oxygen depletion is also a problem as more people crowded into the small area where the soccer team took refuge. Reports said oxygen levels dropped to as low as 15 percent with all the extra bodies coming in and out.
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