Now Dengue fever is spreading across SE Asia

[webfact]

 

by ASEAN NOW

The Thailand Department of Disease Control (DDC), has been warning that this year’s seasonal dengue outbreak could be more severe than usual, following three early deaths in 2022.

This is already half the total for all of 2021.

Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the DDC, said that as summer approaches, cases of dengue fever, as well as other diseases such as diarrhea and heatstroke, increase dramatically.

According to Dr Opas, only six people died from dengue last year, but three dengue fatalities have already been reported in the first three months of 2022. 

All three deaths involved patients who were either recovering from or actively being treated for COVID-19.

 

Other countries have been affected

Thailand is not alone as the Philippines have reported this week that in Zamboanga City their City Health Office (CHO) said Tuesday that it has recorded a total of 2,223 dengue cases with nineteen deaths in the city since January.

Over in Singapore, the number of cases reported so far this year has already exceeded the whole of 2021 and is already climbing towards the levels in 2020 when Singapore saw its worst dengue outbreak. 

To borrow terms, officials there said that we’ve become familiar with over the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effective reproductive number – the number of people infected by the mosquitoes infected by one dengue carrier – needs to be kept below 1 to curb transmission. 

 

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And that isn’t currently happening.

Experts there know some circumstantial factors that may be responsible for the current outbreak. 
The recent warm weather is conducive to mosquito population growth. 

DENV3, the current dominant serotype behind most cases now, has not circulated at such levels before 2021. 

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported that in 2022, and as of 5 May, 785 736 cases and 588 deaths have been reported. 

The majority of cases have been reported from Brazil (607,546) and most deaths are from Indonesia (229). 
Since the previous CDTR published on week 14, 492 404 new cases and 181 new deaths have been reported.
According to their figures in 2022 up to April 25th Thailand had 889 cases and no deaths have been reported. 
This is an increase of 276 cases and no deaths since 5 April 2022.

What is Dengue?

Dengue is a viral infection transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes called Aedes aegypti, which usually bite between two hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset.

The most common symptoms are fever with any of the following: nausea, vomiting, rashes, aches, and pains, like eye pain or typically behind the eyes, muscle, joints, or bones.

Dengue and COVID-19 share some early clinical symptoms, like fever, body ache and fatigue, so more may have sought medical attention in the past two years or so. 

The availability of rapid diagnostics in GP clinics is another factor.

Of course, there are small steps most of us are already familiar with, such as removing stagnant water, using the myENV app to get alerts about clusters, as well as the increased use of sprays, long-sleeved and legged clothing, and residual indoor spraying around the home. 

Fortunately, there are long-term technological solutions around the corner, the two most likely over the years ahead of being the use of Wolbachia mosquitoes and dengue vaccination.

Singapore has been leading the way internationally in using Wolbachia mosquitoes since 2016 in a suppression strategy – where male mosquitoes infected with the Wolbachia bacteria are released to mate but the resultant eggs cannot produce offspring, thus making the wild population crash. 

The data from the pilot field sites in Tampines and Yishun over the last few years suggest the approach is remarkably successful in cutting mosquito populations there.

We can live in hope, meanwhile during the hot rainy season be alert for those pesky  mosquitoes. 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-06-02

 

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[tingtong]

3 in 3 months they said?

Q: is that really qualify to be the next reason to panic?

 

Now put things into a little context, here is a little news snippet:

 

"In a report released in March last year by the National Institute for Child and Family Development (NICFD), it was revealed that between the years 2000 to 2018, there were more than 22,700 drownings involving children under 15 in the kingdom, which averages about 1,262 children per year or a shocking five kids per day."

 

for those, a bit more number inclined that is 5 kids a day ....

or about 450 kids in 3 months.

 

I would naively think one issue is a lot more alarming than the other.

Least it is, in my view.

 

 

[bradiston]

1 hour ago, tingtong said:

3 in 3 months they said?

Q: is that really qualify to be the next reason to panic?

 

Now put things into a little context, here is a little news snippet:

 

"In a report released in March last year by the National Institute for Child and Family Development (NICFD), it was revealed that between the years 2000 to 2018, there were more than 22,700 drownings involving children under 15 in the kingdom, which averages about 1,262 children per year or a shocking five kids per day."

 

for those, a bit more number inclined that is 5 kids a day ....

or about 450 kids in 3 months.

 

I would naively think one issue is a lot more alarming than the other.

Least it is, in my view.

 

 

You got a link for this? I've looked on their site but can't see anything about kids drowning.

[jcmj]

I’m sure it’s been treated as Covid the last couple of years and now that that is under control they are back to the normal diseases. Go figure. 

[Peterw42]

3 hours ago, tingtong said:

3 in 3 months they said?

Q: is that really qualify to be the next reason to panic?

 

Now put things into a little context, here is a little news snippet:

 

"In a report released in March last year by the National Institute for Child and Family Development (NICFD), it was revealed that between the years 2000 to 2018, there were more than 22,700 drownings involving children under 15 in the kingdom, which averages about 1,262 children per year or a shocking five kids per day."

 

for those, a bit more number inclined that is 5 kids a day ....

or about 450 kids in 3 months.

 

I would naively think one issue is a lot more alarming than the other.

Least it is, in my view.

 

 

Not really comparing apples with apples, one is a virus, the other is an accident/negligence.

You cant catch a drowning, its not contagious.

[hotchilli]

Oh dear never mind.

[vandeventer]

10 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Oh dear never mind.

There is always something biting you in the ass when you live in Paradise.

[mikebell]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Fortunately, there are long-term technological solutions around the corner,

Building drain chambers every ten metres with six inches of stagnant water in them isn't one of them.

[Muhendis]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the DDC, said that as summer approaches, cases of dengue fever, as well as other diseases such as diarrhea and heatstroke, increase dramatically.

Calling diarrhoea and heatstroke diseases is not improving my confidence in the DDC. 

 

[Enzian]

38 minutes ago, Muhendis said:

Calling diarrhoea and heatstroke diseases is not improving my confidence in the DDC.

Yeah, but I'd claim food poisoning as a disease in LOS. It put me in a hospital for 2 days.

[zzaa09]

6 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Oh dear never mind.

But that's clearly the crux - they won't never mind. 

[rickudon]

On 6/2/2022 at 3:44 AM, tingtong said:

 

"In a report released in March last year by the National Institute for Child and Family Development (NICFD), it was revealed that between the years 2000 to 2018, there were more than 22,700 drownings involving children under 15 in the kingdom, which averages about 1,262 children per year or a shocking five kids per day."

Rubbish maths. First was that 19 years, 18 years or 17 years? the 1262 figure equates to 18 years. 1262 deaths a year works out as 3.45 deaths a day, not 5. Trust Thai statistics? Ha!

 

Yes, drownings are an issue, but lets have proper facts. Likewise Dengue fever may be a nasty disease, but death rate is under 0.1% and nothing like as contagious as Covid-19, or many other diseases.

[Sambo5000]

My kids just recovering from Dengue here in Vientian. Any advice on avoiding this? A second infection is even deadlier

[KhunLA]

30 minutes ago, Sambo5000 said:

My kids just recovering from Dengue here in Vientian. Any advice on avoiding this? A second infection is even deadlier

Stay away from congested areas of people where mozzies are about.

[jacko45k]

21 hours ago, Sambo5000 said:

My kids just recovering from Dengue here in Vientian. Any advice on avoiding this? A second infection is even deadlier

You had better move or take effective action on standing water and plants where these mosquitoes live. Nets to sleep under.... repellant when out and about. The issue being in an area where there are infected mosquitoes....

[bamnutsak]

In ~ 20 years I haven't had one friend/family/member/first-hand acquaintance report contracting Dengue. Yes, I've heard secondhand of people having Dengue. This week, it's been two. And the neghborhood scuttlebutt is that there are ~ seven more.

[vandeventer]

On 10/19/2022 at 11:51 AM, Sambo5000 said:

My kids just recovering from Dengue here in Vientian. Any advice on avoiding this? A second infection is even deadlier

Sad to hear, a friend of mine had Dengue and went to his doctor and was treated for something else not Dengue. He was not getting any better with the medicine he was given so he went to another Doctor and found out he had Dengue and got the right medicine.  You have to be very careful of some of the doctors out there.