Death of Canadian sickened in Thailand inspires daughter's vaccine crusade

[rooster59]

Death of Canadian sickened in Thailand inspires daughter's vaccine crusade

Meredith MacLeod, CTVNews.ca

 

Retired Edmonton firefighter Bill Hughes died four months after contracting Japanese encephalitis while in Thailand. (Photo courtesy of Jillian Hughes)

 

An Edmonton woman whose father died of a devastating mosquito-borne virus that caused fatal brain swelling is warning Canadians to take travel vaccines seriously.

 

Bill Hughes died in May 2016, roughly four months after he slipped into a coma after contracting Japanese encephalitis while in Thailand. He was a fit and healthy 62-year-old retired firefighter who did triathlons and loved to travel, says his daughter Jillian Hughes, who has made it her mission to raise awareness of the condition.

 

“My dad’s death was preventable and I want to keep people from making the same mistake,” she told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview. “No matter where you are travelling, educate yourself. I never thought this could happen to someone like my dad.”

 

Full story: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/death-of-canadian-sickened-in-thailand-inspires-daughter-s-vaccine-crusade-1.4299162

 

CTV News: 2019-02-17

[mikebell]

What about eradicating mosquito breeding grounds in Thailand?  Thai drainage systems comprise a series of pools of stagnant water which drain into the next down the line as the water level rises.  Perfect for the female to lay her 400 eggs.

[Orton Rd]

Did not know there was a vaccine for it

[LomSak27]

Vaccines are cheap in Thailand. Well worth it to update any Inoculations/vaccinations here.
 

Although a word of warning, the Rabies Prophylaxis side effects can get very weird. Better double check what they might be and get ready for it. Good Luck.

[overherebc]

10 minutes ago, Orton Rd said:

Did not know there was a vaccine for it

AFAIK it's not 'health service' available, ie free. You need to inform your doctor you're heading to an area that is a risk area. Needs one or two booster shots prior to travel.

Probably expensive depending where you live.

[Riggpig]

Mmm food for thought that, I work in Nigeria and we lost 2 expats this year to malaria! 

I have never heard of this Japanese disease before,  

Thats one thing I hate about sakon, mosquitos are rife.

[RotBenz8888]

Still, there aint any vaccines against other mosquito-borne diseases like Dengue fever and Malaria, always protect from getting any mosquito bites in the first place, net, long sleeves, repellents etc. Donno if one can fully trust antimalaria prophylaxis.

[simon43]

I had a jab for Japanese Encep before I went to work in rural Burma - the disease exists in many rural areas of that country.

[Canuckabroad]

I paid for Japanese encephalitis vaccination while in Chiang Mai.  If I recall correctly, it cost about $20 and only needed one shot vs the two shots used in North America.

 

I couldn’t justify the cost before leaving Canada (about $400 in total) but once in Thailand it was worth it.

[Time Traveller]

 

3 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

Did not know there was a vaccine for it

Where do you live? It's common knowledge in Thailand. Most hospitals have posters up about the different mosquito borne illneses in thailand. Not necessary if you live in BKK, but countryside I'd get it.

[Catoni]

4 hours ago, mikebell said:

What about eradicating mosquito breeding grounds in Thailand?  Thai drainage systems comprise a series of pools of stagnant water which drain into the next down the line as the water level rises.  Perfect for the female to lay her 400 eggs.

There are literally billions of mosquito breeding places in Thailand. Where would you like to start? Land fill all the rice paddies? Don’t even think about it.

     Rain barrels, rain pools, old tires with water sitting in them, rain gutters...... I could spend hours listing mosquito breeding grounds. A serious extensive campaign might get rid of 3% to 5% of all mosquito breeding places. 

    Get the vaccine. 

[Kieran00001]

4 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

Did not know there was a vaccine for it

 

There has been for about 50 years.

[Kieran00001]

4 minutes ago, Catoni said:

There are literally billions of mosquito breeding places in Thailand. Where would you like to start? Land fill all the rice paddies? Don’t even think about it.

     Rain barrels, rain pools, old tires with water sitting in them, rain gutters...... I could spend hours listing mosquito breeding grounds. A serious extensive campaign might get rid of 3% to 5% of all mosquito breeding places. 

    Get the vaccine. 

 

Rice paddies don't always produce mosquitoes, the studies have shown us that paddies in close proximity to grazing fields produce the most and that paddies producing late harvests produce the least, part of the answer will be to educate and enforce agricultural practice that does not encourage mosquito growth.

 

It is through the reduction of breeding sites that some countries have managed to reduce their malaria rate by 25% despite seeing their populations increase over the same period, so I have no idea where you plucked your 3% to 5% nonsense figure from.

[Catoni]

4 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

Did not know there was a vaccine for it

Why would you not know?

    Don’t expect others to just walk up and tell you.  There’s been a vaccine for Japanese Encephalitis (JE) for many, many years. 

       You have to investigate and search for yourself to find out if vaccines are available for specific diseases. 

   That’s what I did back in 2011, before my first trip to the tropics.

      I was aware that I did not know anything about vaccines and tropical diseases. So I researched online, talked to my doctor,and then looked up travel medicine clinics.

     I printed out reading material and lists to educate myself. I downloaded the CDC Yellow Book and other CDC material. I read WHO material.  

   Along with many other vaccines, I got my Japanese Encephalitis vaccination in 2012. Series of two shots a month apart (IXIARO).

   Due for booster shots before I return.  

    There is another version called JE-VAX.

    I’m actually surprised that international travelers, tourists, or ex-pats would not know this information in this day and age when there is literally so a vast amount of information just a few mouse clicks away.

     There is a long list of diseases I am vaccinated against. Hep A & B, Typhoid, Meningitis, Yellow Fever, Pnumonia, Shingles (Shingrix) Tetanus, etc. an on and on.... Including a series of three pre-exposure Rabies vaccination shots. 

    If you’re in Thailand, go to the Thai Travel Clinic, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok.

     If you’re in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, go to the Pasteur Clinic.

Cost is much much less than in the west, because of being in the tropics and purchasing in huge quantities.

    I really don’t understand why people would not know about this. Simply make an attempt to find out, research for yourself, and then you learn and know.

    I didn’t know anything about tropical diseases and vaccinations until I decided to investigate for myself. 

   You might also want to download a copy of the CDC Yellow Book and read it. 

    I’m 67....but not too old to learn. 

[NickJ]

I just got the vaccine for stupidity. Doesn't seem to be working. I did just have all my boosters though. Also given the vaccine for typhus as I am travelling around South America

[overherebc]

If you are worried about a small water feature in your garden you can always buy a kind of fish that eats the larvae. If no fish in the feature then 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil per 10 square feet poured on the water smothers the larvae as they are 'butt breathers' and need to have oxygen by coming to the surface. The oil blocks their 'siphon.'

[Catoni]

29 minutes ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

Rice paddies don't always produce mosquitoes, the studies have shown us that paddies in close proximity to grazing fields produce the most and that paddies producing late harvests produce the least, part of the answer will be to educate and enforce agricultural practice that does not encourage mosquito growth.

 

It is through the reduction of breeding sites that some countries have managed to reduce their malaria rate by 25% despite seeing their populations increase over the same period, so I have no idea where you plucked your 3% to 5% nonsense figure from.

    I get it from common sense.

Mosquitos will breed in the smallest amounts of water. Even a bottle cap laying in the grass that had water in it.   Any container or natural water collection spot. I could probably take two steps outside any door and count lots of spots. 

     And they breed and become mosquitos in a very short time.

    Like I said, billions of breeding places.

     So where do you want to start? 

 

You think rice paddies are the only source? 

    Hmmmm.  Reduced by 25% huh ? 

  

     Nice.   But still leaves 75 %...right?

 

  Assuming your sources are accurate. Which you have not shown.

[Catoni]

13 minutes ago, NickJ said:

I just got the vaccine for stupidity. Doesn't seem to be working. I did just have all my boosters though. Also given the vaccine for typhus as I am travelling around South America

Didn’t work?  So you got Japanese Encephalitis anyways? 

    Very sorry. I hope they can help you. 

    Vaccines are not 100% protection. They run about 60% to 97% depending on the vaccine. But the nice thing is, if you still get the disease, it will probably be a much milder case. Vaccines save lives. 

     That’s good enough reason for me to get the shots.?

     Some vaccines good for life. Some for only a few years and then you need booster shots. 

[Catoni]

3 hours ago, Canuckabroad said:

I paid for Japanese encephalitis vaccination while in Chiang Mai.  If I recall correctly, it cost about $20 and only needed one shot vs the two shots used in North America.

 

I couldn’t justify the cost before leaving Canada (about $400 in total) but once in Thailand it was worth it.

 

 IXIARO, JE-VAX, IMOJEV and one or two other JE vaccines

   The IXIARO requires two shots 28 days apart. 

   JE-VAX requires three shots. On day 0, 7, and 30.  

  Both are very effective.   I don’t know much about IMOJEV. 

   I think there is a one shot JE vaccine produced in China, and possibly France. 

   Not sure. Maybe someone here can fill us in. 

[Catoni]

5 hours ago, LomSak27 said:

Vaccines are cheap in Thailand. Well worth it to update any Inoculations/vaccinations here.
 

Although a word of warning, the Rabies Prophylaxis side effects can get very weird. Better double check what they might be and get ready for it. Good Luck.

Had the three dose pre-exposure Rabies vaccine shots. Didn’t notice any side effects at all. 

    Not even the bit of a sore arm muscle for a couple of days like you get from the tetanus vaccine shot or from Shingrix shingles vaccine shots.

     As a matter of fact, your post is the first I’ve ever heard of side effects from Rabies pre-exposure vaccine shots.

       (You still need two further shots of Rabies vaccine if bitten. But you don’t need the Rabies Immune Globulin, it can be sometimes hard to find and extremely expensive, and you don’t need three or four Rabies shots.)

[GroveHillWanderer]

4 hours ago, RotBenz8888 said:

Still there aint any vaccines against other mosquito-borne diseases like Dengue fever and Malaria

Well there are - it's just that they're not particularly great.

 

There is one currently-licensed vaccine for Dengue (others are in late stage development) however it is "recommended that the vaccine only be used in people who have previously had a dengue infection as otherwise there was evidence it may worsen subsequent infections."

 

There is also a malaria vaccine but once again it is not all that highly-recommended as it requires four injections and has a relatively low efficacy.

[Catoni]

2 hours ago, Time Traveller said:

 

Where do you live? It's common knowledge in Thailand. Most hospitals have posters up about the different mosquito borne illneses in thailand. Not necessary if you live in BKK, but countryside I'd get it.

It’s common knowledge on the internet. Before my first trip to Southeast Asia I did some searches, like with travel clinic sites, and the WHO, and the CDC, and university tropical medicine web sites. Then I talked with my family doctor and found a travel medical clinic to go to. 

    Really not that difficult.

[Catoni]

30 minutes ago, Catoni said:

Didn’t work?  So you got Japanese Encephalitis anyways? 

    Very sorry. I hope they can help you. 

    Vaccines are not 100% protection. They run about 60% to 97% depending on the vaccine. But the nice thing is, if you still get the disease, it will probably be a much milder case. Vaccines save lives. 

     That’s good enough reason for me to get the shots.   

     Some vaccines good for life. Some for only a few years and then you need booster shots. 

 

[Lemonltr]

I once read an article from mosquito experts saying that protective lotions should have a minimum content of 30% deet. I found a one with 25% deet and it was the cheapest. Blue bottle printed with a large number 15. I assume company name. 

However lately it has disappeared from all supermarket shelves ( chemists and 7/11 don't sell it) Now left with creams with 7% deet. 

[Christophers200]

10 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

Well there are - it's just that they're not particularly great.

 

There is one currently-licensed vaccine for Dengue (others are in late stage development) however it is "recommended that the vaccine only be used in people who have previously had a dengue infection as otherwise there was evidence it may worsen subsequent infections."

 

There is also a malaria vaccine but once again it is not all that highly-recommended as it requires four injections and has a relatively low efficacy.

Name this malaria vaccine and its manufacturer, please 

[Kieran00001]

34 minutes ago, Catoni said:

    I get it from common sense.

Mosquitos will breed in the smallest amounts of water. Even a bottle cap laying in the grass that had water in it.   Any container or natural water collection spot. I could probably take two steps outside any door and count lots of spots. 

     And they breed and become mosquitos in a very short time.

    Like I said, billions of breeding places.

     So where do you want to start? 

 

You think rice paddies are the only source? 

    Hmmmm.  Reduced by 25% huh ? 

  

     Nice.   But still leaves 75 %...right?

 

  Assuming your sources are accurate. Which you have not shown.

 

Sorry, what?  You want us to consider your "common sense" derived, which are actually just made up, percentages, but expect to be provided with sources when confronted by actual stats, hilarious!  There is plenty of research on this available in the public domain, instead of imagining figures and then trying to assert them as being "common sense", try reading.

 

 

 

[Sealbash]

 

 
It is through the reduction of breeding sites that some countries have managed to reduce their malaria rate by 25% despite seeing their populations increase over the same period, so I have no idea where you plucked your 3% to 5% nonsense figure from.

Which countries of similar size and terrain as Thailand?


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[Christophers200]

This man was very unfortunate - JE is not widespread and is only found in rural pig raising areas. The average tourist does not need the vaccine.

[Kieran00001]

2 minutes ago, Christophers200 said:

Name this malaria vaccine and its manufacturer, please 

Its called Mosquirix and is made by GlaxoSmithKline.

[Kieran00001]

3 minutes ago, Sealbash said:

 

Which countries of similar size and terrain as Thailand?


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Are you seriously trying to pretend that there may be a geographical reason for Thailand lagging behind African countries in disease prevention?