Dengue fever in Hua Hin?

[Amarita]

If news of outbreak of Dengue fever reached
North Europe it would be all over the tabloid
news papers. And that would hurt the Thai
economy.. And that is a reason to hush it !

[STEVE G]

I worked in Indonesia for six years where Dengue is more prevalent than Thailand and it's worth guarding against as several people I knew there had nasty cases of it.
Be aware that it's principally spread by the female Aedes aegypti mosquito which is generally a larger insect with white markings that is around in daylight, mainly feeding in the periods after daybreak and before sunset.
They're quite destinctive, so try to not let them bite you if you spot one. Also look out for the insects in their infant stage, hanging from the surface tension of any standing water around about your home:

[Big Boy]

If news of outbreak of Dengue fever reached
North Europe it would be all over the tabloid
news papers. And that would hurt the Thai
economy.. And that is a reason to hush it !

But surely, Dengue Fever is a hazard of travelling to many places - not just Hua Hin. If the risk was publicised better, people would be more aware, and take precautions. A head in the sand approach is doing no good to anybody.

[Frank Hovis]

If news of outbreak of Dengue fever reached
North Europe it would be all over the tabloid
news papers. And that would hurt the Thai
economy.. And that is a reason to hush it !

Completely hushed up by putting it on a publicly accessible website http://www.thaivbd.org/dengue.php and obfuscated further by writing it in a language that only some people can read. An obvious cover-up.

[dozer]

I don't believe there is any sort of cover up.There is a link to a website for dengue fever in Thailand on my companies website and it's been there for quite few years.


http://www.nathnac.org/ds/c_pages/count ... tm#general

DENGUE FEVER
Dengue is a systemic viral disease. A map showing the global areas at risk for dengue can be found here (85 KB GIF)
Risk assessment
Epidemiology - Dengue is known or has the potential to occur in this country.
Exposure - Dengue is transmitted via the bite of an infected Aedes aegypti mosquito. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes feed predominantly during daylight hours and are most abundant in urban or peri-urban settings. All travellers to dengue areas are at risk.
Risk management
Travellers should take mosquito bite avoidance measures. Aedes mosquitoes feed predominantly during daylight hours.
There is no vaccination or medication to prevent dengue.
A previous dengue illness with one of the four dengue virus serotypes does not confer immunity to other virus serotypes.
Infection with a second dengue serotype may be a risk factor for the development of dengue haemorrhagic fever.

[Big Boy]

Frank, the last sentence was a bit harsh.

Regarding the rest, you are obviously of the same opinion as me - nobody is covering up anything. It's a natural hazard that unfortunately happens.

[Frank Hovis]

My apologies, donations are not required
I have edited out the harsh words.

[traveller2]

However, does anybody know how long a full diagnosis for Dengue takes? In my son's case they did the tests a couple of times during his stay to be sure.

.

Dengue has a 48 hour incubation period before it starts showing up in blood tests.

T2

[Bristolian]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... ion-health

Safeguard the nation's health

This is turning out to be a bad year for public health scares. Bird flu in Cambodia has already claimed six lives, the most recent being a three-year-old girl who died this week. Now a mysterious respiratory disease similar to the Sars virus, which took nearly 800 lives in 30 countries a decade ago, has surfaced and killed five of the 11 people known to have caught it. Worse, it is feared to be capable of person-to-person transmission, although British health officials stress that such contagion would require prolonged exposure.

While the Sars (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus originated from palm civets in China, the source of this new disease appears to be bats and most infections have occurred in the Middle East. With the speed of modern air travel and the number of people always on the move, no country is immune from what once would have been a localised outbreak. Thai health officials need to be ready to cope with any eventuality, a reminder that is necessary after the bungling that characterised the handling of the H1N1 swine flu pandemic in 2009.

Politicians and health authorities initially played the outbreak down and then went into full panic mode as the death toll mounted. Yet despite all the money spent, our medical technicians were unable to produce a vaccine safely and in time for it to be of any use. Why they were unable to replicate the manufacture of the WHO-approved vaccine remains a mystery, given that other countries apparently had no problems. Had the flu virus mutated into an enhanced strain we could have been in serious trouble. In this instance, the ability of the medical authorities to counter emerging diseases was tested and found wanting. Proper contingency planning is vital to avoid any repeat of this debacle.
Given the public appetite for sensationalism, it is understandable why so much media attention is being given to the implications of a possible new Sars-type threat. There is also no question that sufficient funds will be made available to combat this potential global health hazard. And that is as it should be. The trouble is there is never enough money to go around to fund eradication programmes for the older killer diseases which are no longer a problem in richer countries. Tuberculosis alone accounts for more than 12,000 deaths a year in Thailand, with up to 100,000 new cases diagnosed annually.

Rather than competing for cash, the threat from the newer diseases should serve as a catalyst to motivate the global health community into ridding the world of existing epidemics. But there is a great deal of complacency about TB, despite nearly a third of the world's population being affected, and it shows in the lack of investment in treatments. Malaria is another scourge with half the world's population vulnerable and one child dying every minute in the poorest African countries.

It would have been encouraging to hear Public Health Minister Pradit Sintavanarong dispel some of this gloom. But what he had to say recently was hardly encouraging. He warned that more than 70,000 people had been infected with mosquito-borne dengue fever last year and that the spread of the disease could be even worse this year. No longer is it confined to the rainy season, to young children or to provinces outside Bangkok. In fact the capital had 9,569 known sufferers. Of the 74,250 victims nationwide, 79 died.

No treatment existed when the country was first ravaged by dengue fever in 1958 and none exists today. This would be a good time for candidates running for Bangkok governor to put mosquito eradication schemes on their campaign platforms and enforce them if elected

[Bristolian]

http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/thaila ... ear-66825/

Thailand reports over 5,000 dengue fever cases since the beginning of the year

The Thailand Department of Disease Control is reported a heavy dengue fever season since January and health officials fear that the Kingdom could exceed 100,000 cases in 2013.

Since January 1, 2013, health officials report 5,700 dengue fever patients with four fatalities. This is a five times increase from the same time period in 2012.

Director-General of the Department of Disease Control MD Pornthep Siriwanarangsan said the rising number of patients before the disease’s spreading period in the rainy season is a sign that this year’s dengue fever situation might be severe, with a projected number of patients of 100,000,according to a Thailand Business News report Wednesday.
In 2012, the Thailand Health Ministry reported 74,250 dengue cases with 79 fatalities, representing a proportion of 116 patients in 100,000 people.

The Ministry of Public Health has already set up a dengue fever war room to plan for preventive measure like mosquito control and education as the rainy season approaches.

[PeteC]

So many Thais seem to be oblivious about all of this, and what to do around the house to try to prevent it. Even the professionals (??) we use for our gardens and the entire development uses leave pans, pots and cans of all descriptions laying around with water in them. I run around after them and empty them out. I ask the Wife...."What the H$%# am I paying them for....?". Pete

EDIT: When you have a youngster in the household the issue becomes very important. Us old buggers can usually shake it off if we get a dose.

[STEVE G]

....leave pans, pots and cans of all descriptions laying around with water in them.

Yes, this is a good point; in Indonesia there used to be regular media campaigns on the TV to tell people to go around their properties to eliminate sources of standing water.

[Bristolian]

Some pretty basic advice but worth remembering

Prevention of dengue fever

At present, there aren’t any vaccines or medicines to prevent dengue fever. The only way to prevent catching it is to protect you from getting bitten by mosquitoes.
Aedes albopictus is well-known to breed in small containers such as tree holes, leaf axils, rock pools, disused tyres, discarded containers and saucers of potted plants.

Advice as follows.
Wear light-coloured, loose-fitting, protective clothing that covers as much of your body as possible.
Use mosquito screen to prevent the invasion of mosquito into your home
Use an insect repellent on areas of your skin that are exposed and on your clothing – especially around loose parts such as collars or cuffs. Repellents containing a chemical known as DEET (N, N-diethylmetatoluamide) are thought to be most effective.
Use plug-in devices with insecticides in them to kill mosquitoes. Outdoors, use mosquito coils
Sleep under a mosquito net to avoid being bitten at night.

It's most important to follow these precautions around dawn and dusk, as this is when the Aedes mosquito is most active. However, it's important to remember that the Aedes mosquito can bite at any time of the day or night.

Additional advice
Avoid areas where the mosquitoes breed (normally in standing water in domestic containers and around urban areas). Try to remove such sources of water or cover them up.
Change at least once a week the water in flower vases and saucers of potted plants to prevent breeding of mosquito. The use of saucers should be avoided whenever possible.
Keep all external drains free from leaves, rubbish etc
All containers storing water should be covered with a tight lid
Water stored in barrels, drums etc should be replaced by fresh stock (at least) once a week
Discarded container-like objects like tyres, coconut shells, bottles, etc should be disposed off or destroyed
Water fountains should be kept dry once a week
Rain water collected on terraces/roofs should be cleared (at least) once a week

[Bristolian]

http://thainews.prd.go.th/centerweb/new ... 3180010001
Public Health stepping up dengue prevention following several deaths

BANGKOK, 17 March 2013 (NNT) - The Public Health Ministry has stepped up the dengue prevention measures and the mosquito control after a number of children younger than 14 years of age have reportedly died from the fever.

Permanent Secretary of Public Health Ministry Dr. Narong Sahametapat cited information from the Department of Disease Control in reporting that around13,000 people across the country have contracted dengue fever during the first 3 months of this year.

He said that dengue patients are found in every province of Thailand and that the latest records of around 1,000-1,500 new cases emerged each week are considered 4 times higher than last year.

Dr. Narong stated more than half of more than a dozen people killed by the fever since the beginning of the year are below 14 years of age.

He elaborated that the highest dengue deaths were reported from Songkhla, where 5 were killed, while another 2 in Nakhon Si Thammarat succumbed to the deadly virus. At least one has died in Bangkok, Samut Prakarn, Nakhon Pathom, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Rayong, Pattani and Yala.

The Permanent Secretary of Public Health has instructed health officials in related provincial offices to encourage people to protect themselves against dengue fever and to make sure no water is kept in an open container as mosquitoes are often found using them as their breeding grounds.

Provincial health offices have also been ordered to hold training sessions for medical staffs to be extra-vigilant in their diagnosis in a bid to reduce dengue death toll.

Locals are also urged to seek immediate medical attention if they or their family members have suffered high fever for 3 consecutive days.

[PeteC]

^ That's scary stuff. We've had a Dengue fever thread on here each year for about the last 5 or 6, and each year the news gets worse with growing numbers of infections. Pete