Dengue Fever

[Weho]

I have heard of a few recent cases of dengue fever in the Pattaya area. Just curious if anyone knows anyone, anywhere in Thailand, that got it, and when and how they think they got it.

[Weho]

I have heard of a few recent cases of dengue fever in the Pattaya area, not sure if the people got it there, or if they just lived there.

Has anyone heard of any others getting dengue fever, in Thailand, and what circumstances they think they got it?

[meom]

I got it a couple of years ago in Bangkok. I was supposed to fly back to the Gulf and the last day in BKK suddenly felt very bad. Shivering and everywhere pain in my body. Mrs Meom bought me a couple of Tiffys and a bottle of sangsom but that didn't really do me much good. Anyway I had to go back to work so I dragged myself in the plane the next day feeling not exactly well.

Back at work things didn't look any better so I went to the hospital. In the hospital they took a blood sample and gave me some paracetamol.

I went back to work and a couple of hours later the hospital called the company asking about my whereabouts and that I should report back to them immediately. So I went back to the hospital where they informed me I had dengue fever and had to be isolated. Apparently your immune system gets weaker with dengue so that's why the isolation to prevent somebody gives you a cold or something which could be fatal. Don't know if that's correct but that's how it was explained to me at the time.

Anyway the hooked me up to an IV and after a couple of days I was alright and was discharged.

You get it from day time mosquito's btw.

[chiang mai]

I caught it five years ago in Petchabun and the local hospital gave me a vitamin C shot stating I had flue. Twenty four later I was on fire and dragged myself to Bumrungrad where they instantly recognized it as Dengue. Three weeks in hospital and 54,000 baht lighter I was discharged. Worst part of the ordeal was that they changed the IV drip needle from the right to the left hand after 24 hours and because the virus is heomoragic the puncture wound caused by the needle didn't seal itself and blood leaked from the vein into the rest of the hand. My left hand swelled to five times its normal size and turned black, looked scary. Beware day time mossies.

[jezchesters]

I contracted it in Indonesia about ten years ago - it's rubbish!

[leisurely]

I know three people here in BKK who have been diagnosed with it. Two have no idea where they got it, the other picked it up down south. this person refuses to wear repellent with DEET in it and shuns anything unnatural. Daft IMHO, but each to their own.

Dependng on where we are, we use either off or Jaico with JOhnsons green stuff for the kids and cover up. Both for dengue and malaria.

[wilko]

I have 2 friends caught it in Pattaya about 2 yrs ago. One a bar owner who has never been north of Sukumvit Rd and the other a tourist. The tourist was diagnosed on arriving back home - he'd collapsed twice in the hotel.

The bar owner was unlucky he was laid uop for 2 weeks - the deseasewhwen it gets bad is called "breakbone fever" because thats how painful it seems. Furthermore, it took him several weeks to get back to normal

Many people get a mild version and think it was flu or something but if you get it again it can be much worse.

The small mozzie (Aedes) that carries the virus (there is no cure BTW) is a daytime mozzie especially dawn and dusk. It breads in small puddles e.g. old car tyres, this makes it an urban critter so doubly dangerous.

A person can be infected by at least two, if not all four types at different times during a life span, but only once by the same type. Sequential infections can get more severe.

Dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF), is a potentially lethal complication.

If you get it all you can do is ride it out. Keep up fluids and take some painkillers NOT Aspirin.

Edited March 10, 2007 by wilko

[Totster]

Duplicate topics merged

totster

[pilou]

I caught dengue twice, once in Chiangmai 15 years ago, second time near Palembang in Indonesia 4 years ago.Symptoms look very much like malaria ( which I caught twice as well...) , only headaches and joints pain is worse...

Both times I spent one week in hospital, they were ready to transfuse blood in Chiangmai, which I refused, I was ready to fly to Singapore, but my blood cell count came back OK and did not have to.

According to my doctor in France, there are 3 types of dengue, once you catch it, you are immune, so I still have to experience the last one...

[chiang mai]

I caught dengue twice, once in Chiangmai 15 years ago, second time near Palembang in Indonesia 4 years ago.Symptoms look very much like malaria ( which I caught twice as well...) , only headaches and joints pain is worse...

Both times I spent one week in hospital, they were ready to transfuse blood in Chiangmai, which I refused, I was ready to fly to Singapore, but my blood cell count came back OK and did not have to.

According to my doctor in France, there are 3 types of dengue, once you catch it, you are immune, so I still have to experience the last one...

Bumrungrad tells me that immunity to Dengue or Hemorrhagic Fever only lasts about one to two years so I would be cautious with your doctors statement.

[The Dan Sai Kid]

I know a number of people who have got it after spending a pro-longed amount of time around the moat area of Chiang Mai.

[wpcoe]

While not directly dengue-related, this could perhaps give some folks a second thought about "mozzies".

I met a doctor on a flight to Thailand once. I forget the name of his specialty but he dealt with tropical diseases. I mentioned that I sometimes don't get mosquito bites when others in the same room/area get bitten and wondered why that was. He advised me that while it is "possible" I wasn't getting bitten, it is more "probable" that I was getting bitten but not having a reaction to the bite: no swelling, itching, etc. Some people only get reactions from certain types of mosquitoes and not others. So, although I knew I got bites some times ... itchy welts ... other times/places with different breeds (?) of mozzies, I might not.

So, those who think they might be "immune" to bites, consider the possibility that you are getting bites whether you are aware or not.

Here's a good web site for dengue info, well organized with good links and clearly written: Campaign Against Dengue

[Sheryl]

I had dengue twice in the early 80's when working in refugee camps on the Thai-Cambodian border. Each rainy season the hospitals in Bkk filled up with farangs from the camps with dengue. Everyone who ever stayed in the house I lived in (widely known as "dengue house") got it.

There were water jars around the house and, as we had to do night shifty rotations, we often slept in the daytime. That plus a continual pool of new farang arrivals (people with no immunity) kept the virus rampant.

Second time wasn't too bad but first time was awful, in hospital 2 weeks and took another month after that to recover fully.

There are 4 serotypes here , by the way, not 3.

[Gary A]

I had Dengue fever when I was working in Chachoensao. I was shivering one minute and burning hot the next minute. The worst thing was the headache and the pain in my joints. My then girlfriend's sister was a nurse. She came and looked at me. She told me that I must go to the hospital. I said I wasn't going to go and she told me that it was up to me but if I didn't go I would die. I went! The doctor asked me what I was taking for the pain and I told him I was taking aspirin. He told me that I certainly didn't have ulcers or any other internal problems because if I had, I would have bled to death. Dengue fever thins the blood to the point that even the IV in my arm wouldn't stop bleeding. I had to wait about four days until my blood count started back to normal. Believe me, it's no fun.

[Prakanong]

I have heard of a few recent cases of dengue fever in the Pattaya area. Just curious if anyone knows anyone, anywhere in Thailand, that got it, and when and how they think they got it.

I know a few people who have caught it in Thailand. Bangkok and Koh Pan Yang (SP)

I caught it in Siem Reap.

I work in vaccines - we are starting a 4000 subject study there soon (Thailand) as the candidate vaccine is proving successful in early stages (no guarantee of future sucess of course). A coleage is very up on this - if you need specific info PM me.

[Prakanong]

I caught dengue twice, once in Chiangmai 15 years ago, second time near Palembang in Indonesia 4 years ago.Symptoms look very much like malaria ( which I caught twice as well...) , only headaches and joints pain is worse...

Both times I spent one week in hospital, they were ready to transfuse blood in Chiangmai, which I refused, I was ready to fly to Singapore, but my blood cell count came back OK and did not have to.

According to my doctor in France, there are 3 types of dengue, once you catch it, you are immune, so I still have to experience the last one...

4 types with multiple sub-types.

The problem with the (Candidate)vaccine is covering them all!

[Prakanong]

I caught dengue twice, once in Chiangmai 15 years ago, second time near Palembang in Indonesia 4 years ago.Symptoms look very much like malaria ( which I caught twice as well...) , only headaches and joints pain is worse...

Both times I spent one week in hospital, they were ready to transfuse blood in Chiangmai, which I refused, I was ready to fly to Singapore, but my blood cell count came back OK and did not have to.

According to my doctor in France, there are 3 types of dengue, once you catch it, you are immune, so I still have to experience the last one...

Bumrungrad tells me that immunity to Dengue or Hemorrhagic Fever only lasts about one to two years so I would be cautious with your doctors statement.

I will check on this with a colleage but I am sure I remember her presentation correctly and you are immune for life from any of the 4 sero-types after you have had it.

PS Some of the pics from the preseantation were horrific and thats why it sticks with me.

[chiang mai]

I contracted it in Indonesia about ten years ago - it's rubbish!

I wish I understood what that means!

[Gary A]

I told my doctor that at least I wouldn't catch it again. He told me that there a person builds NO immunity to Dengue and that I could easily catch it again. SORRY!

[Weho]

The reason I asked was because I got it last month... I was on vacation in Kota Kinabalu Borneo (Malaysia), then back to Pattaya where I live. Symptoms came about ten days AFTER I got back to Pattaya. Not certain if I got bit in Borneo, or Pattaya. I was in Bangkok Pattaya Hospital for 6 days, 70,000 baht. Great care, but not much they can do. One reason they put you in the hospital is to try to make sure you don't get a secondary illness, like a bad cold or flu, at the same time, which could be fatal.

I had a high fever, and slept for days. Hardly ate anything for a week. A month later, I've regained about 95% of my strength.

I heard of a family of 4, who lives in Pattaya, farangs, other side of Sukumvit, and got it there for sure (they hadn't traveled anywhere), and the whole family was in the hospital for a week.