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An ambulance carrying one of the boys rescued from Tham Luang Nang Non cave heading towards the hospital on July 8, 2018 in Chiang Rai, Thailand.
- The parents of four boys who were rescued from a Thai cave on Sunday haven't been told about their rescue.
- Officials are reportedly not telling parents their children are safe to prevent pain and anguish to the parents of boys still inside.
- The four rescued boys are in hospital and will be kept in an isolation unit for 1-2 days.
The identities of four boys rescued from a Thai cave on Sunday evening have not even been revealed to their own parents.
The four boys, who are thought to have been in the weakest condition of the 12-member football team that went missing with their coach more than two weeks ago, were sent straight to hospital after they emerged from the cave with rescue divers on Sunday night.
But instead of being reunited with their families, Thai officials planned a few days ago to keep the boys in sterilized isolation units which prohibits physical contact. Their parents have also not been told that they're safe.
The reason, according to local media, is to ensure the boys haven't contracted any infections and so as to not make the experience even more painful for the parents of those boys who are still in the cave.
One potentially fatal disease they could have contracted in the cave is histoplasmosis, a lung infection derived from fungus spores found in bat droppings. It's commonly know as "cave disease" and "spelunker's lung." While generally benign, it can lead to death in untreated.
An official reportedly told a Thai TV station on Monday morning that they didn't want to name the boys because "they're afraid it will affect the parents of kids who still remain inside."
Only one boy has been named by local media as being part of the first group that was rescued. His mother, who is sleeping near the cave site, told The Guardian just hearing her son's name made her "happy enough."
The boys recently wrote letters to their parents that were carried out by divers. Some of the boys reassured their parents that they were "fine"and that they loved them, and requested fried chicken, BBQ pork, and pork skin on their exit.
The team also seemed to have put out a joint letter saying they "want to go back home immediately" and asking that their teacher not give them too much homework.