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Everything posted by Polar Bear
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It was from Mahidol, but the site seems to be down at the moment, so I can't get the link. I'll try to remember to post it later. This is an older paper, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virol.2004.08.003 But it's going to depend what you are looking for and where you look. India has its own genotypes of all strains, and there are really nasty variants of DENV 1 and DENV 2 circulating there at the moment. DENV 4 doesn't generally circulate in Brazil, but they have sporadic outbreaks which usually results in a short epidemic. The last one I know of was about 10 years ago, but there may have been more recent ones because I don't particularly follow the literature from Brazil, so that might be out of date.
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It was launched commercially last year, but it's been in large-stage trials (around 30,000 people) for over 5 years. It was developed here in Thailand at Maihdol.
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DENV 1, 2, 3, and 4 are active in Thailand. The fifth strain was only recently identified and is not routinely tested for, so we don't know how prevalent it is anywhere. DENV 1 used to be the most common in Thailand, followed by DENV 2, then it switched, and DENV 2 became dominant. DENV 4 is usually the least common everywhere, but it is also potentially the most serious and the one most likely to cause hemorrhagic fever in a subsequent infection. Also, for unknown reasons, people seem to be more susceptible to DENV 4 after having had a previous infection of another strain. DENV 4 is still the least common strain in Thailand, but it's rising and fast, and Bangkok is considered to be one of the highest-risk locations for it globally. There are at least 3 different genotypes of DENV 4 circulating in Bangkok.
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Qdenga is authorised in the EU for people who are seropositive or seronegative, but it's not recommended for seronegative tourists because they don't need it, not because of safety concerns. This is because the risk profile is very different in the EU. For (most) people, the first Dengue infection is mild. Many people don't even know they had it. I've given the breakdown on this before, but if you live in Thailand, you can expect to catch Dengue roughly once every 10 years. If you were born here, you are likely to be on your second or third infection by the time you are in your mid-20s. So if you live here long term, even if you have never had Dengue before, statistically, it's highly likely that you are going to get it eventually, and probably more than once. Someone living in, say, Germany is not going to catch Dengue locally. If they visit Thailand once a year, every year, staying for a month every time, they could expect to catch Dengue once every 100 years. They would have to be extremely unlucky or wildly reckless with bite prevention hygiene to catch it twice. Since the vaccination is primarily helpful for preventing the potentially very serious effects of a subsequent infection, it's going to be of limited use to them. Of course, the flip side of that is that if they are a regular visitor, they might not know they are seropositive if they have been infected, but it was mild. So then they would be recommended to get vaccinated, but as they are never likely to be tested, they won't know they need it. Unless they catch again, in which case they might find out the hard way. Qdenga is not licensed for over 60s because it hasn't been tested, but it isn't contraindicated. You may well find a private clinic willing to do it, if both sides are happy to accept the potential risk. It's not a decision that should be taken likely, but if you have had 2 infections already, it would certainly be worth speaking to a doctor about your own personal risk profile.
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As already suggested, Ibis is usually pet-friendly. If you want something more upmarket, Anantasila in Hua Hin and Rabbit Resort in Pattaya are both nice.
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Are you connecting through wifi on a router that has a VPN? Because if it's just on your phone, you should be able to toggle it. (I have several Samsung devices with VPNs, and they all toggle.) If you think it might be the router, try connecting to the app via mobile data instead. (I can't access either of my Thai accounts or my UK accounts if I have a VPN on.)
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If you don't like it Leave ! Root canal
Polar Bear replied to georgegeorgia's topic in Health and Medicine
Good luck finding an NHS dentist who's still taking patients on in the UK. -
Passport 6-month rule returning home ?
Polar Bear replied to talisman01's topic in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
There's no 6-month requirement when a Brit is returning to the UK, as long as it's a direct flight. If you have a connection, different rules might apply in the transit country. -
I have this package, and AIS insisted that it couldn't be renewed. The option appeared in the app about 1 month after it expired (so I didn't have a package for about a month and just had to pay.) My husband got the renew option about 1 week after expiry. I don't know why it was different. We just had to top up the general credit in the app, and then we could renew using that balance. Since the first renewal, we've been able to renew immediately when the package expired. I've never had a text message or notification about renewal. I can top up in the app. If you go to the packages tab, but DON'T click on My Packages. Scroll to the top where it tells you your balance, and there should be a top-up button next to it. If that doesn't work, you can probably top up through your Thai bank account to your phone number.
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Degree 'legalisation' process and police check
Polar Bear replied to aza93's topic in Teaching in Thailand Forum
As no-one else seems to be offering anything helpful... I haven't been through the process for Thailand, but I've done it for other countries, and yes, it was exactly as you describe. I've never been asked for transcripts anywhere. That's more of an American thing. Not all British universities even provide them. But if you've been told you need them, you probably do. In which case, you will need to have every page certified. Most places seem to accept the basic Disclosure and Barring Service certificate now. Some still want an ACRO certificate, but if you are working with kids, I'd think an ICPC would be OK, too. If it's anything like other aspects of Thai immigration, the exact details will be extremely vague and largely at the whim of whoever deals with your paperwork on the day, -
Do you mean the QR code for the video training? If so, you complete the video training, and at the end, you can download the QR code, which is linked to your results, to confirm you did it. You just show it to the people at DLT. You don't have to do anything with it yourself.
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What type of QR code? What are you trying to do with it? Are you trying to go to a webpage, pay for something, download an app, etc.?
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Using a thai license for a U.K. rental car.
Polar Bear replied to Andrew Dwyer's topic in UK & Europe Topics and Events
We've used 5-year licences in the UK multiple times without an issue. We usually book through Drivalia because it's convenient for us. The only thing to watch out for is that you have to have held a licence for a year, so if it's been renewed recently, take a copy of your old one with you to show you've held the licence longer than that. Having said that, they told me to take a copy of my old licence and then they never asked for it, so maybe it doesn't matter. -
If you don't like it Leave ! Root canal
Polar Bear replied to georgegeorgia's topic in Health and Medicine
I posted about a similar treatment before: It was 25k for everything. It required 2 visits, and they could be in the morning and afternoon on the same day, or on different days, as you prefer. -
If they want agents to help them, these two have good reputations. https://relo4paws.com/ Christine's Pet Travel https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064770711713 But they won't be able to do much if they are a banned breed.
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As far as I know, they are banned because they are classed as a derivative/descendant breed of pit bulls, which are also banned. Some states have exemptions for dogs that were born locally, but I don't know the details. I'd suggest they contact Zoll for information. https://www.zoll.de/EN/Private-individuals/Travel/Entering-Germany/Restrictions/Dangerous-dogs/dangerous-dogs.html
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What kind of bullies? Several bull breeds are banned in Germany.
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Print service DMK Airport
Polar Bear replied to Vampyteuthis's topic in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
It was Air Asia that wouldn't print it for me. It probably depends who you get on the desk though. -
Print service DMK Airport
Polar Bear replied to Vampyteuthis's topic in Thai Visas, Residency, and Work Permits
Not a print service, but I once screwed up and didn't print a visa that I should have printed. The airline wouldn't help, but the tourist police printed it out for me. The information desk sent me to ask them. I don't know if it's something they do regularly or if they just took pity on me, but I was able to email it to them, and they printed it. They charged a few THB for the printing. I don't think I'd want to rely on that, though. -
A 'sufficient number of eminent scientists'? How many is 'sufficient'? I prefer to just go by the data, and as The Nature article you cite says, 'no cases of ADE have been reported in clinical trials of Qdenga'. One of the sources I linked earlier was the documentation of approval by the Swedish Society for Infectious Diseases Physicians. If there were other Swedish scientists who disagreed, I guess there wasn't a sufficient number of them to sway the decision. But regardless, with Brazil and potentially Indonesia starting mass vaccination programs, we'll have a lot more data soon. In the meantime, everyone is free to make their own decision on it. If you prefer to take a more cautious approach, that's entirely your choice. I certainly have no argument with you about it.