Public Warned Not To Buy Counterfeit Flu Medicine Amid Severe Outbreak

[webfact]

 

THE PUBLIC Health Ministry today (Oct. 11) confirmed that there is no shortage of medicine to treat influenza while warning the public to not be fooled into buying expensive smuggled counterfeits amid a severe outbreak in many provinces, TV Channel 7 said.

 

Public Health Minister Cholanan Srikaew, who is a physician, said some influenza strains, particularly type A, its subtypes H1N1 and H3N2, and type B, have spread rapidly in many provinces.

 

From Jan. 1 to Sep. 30 this year the cumulative confirmed flu patients reached 248,322, an illness rate of 375.50 per 100,000 people.

 

It is noteworthy that just in September alone 109,556 people caught the flu. Chonlanan mentioned that his ministry is accelerating vaccination of high-risk groups and extending free flu shots for children from six months to two years to five years.

 

by TNR Staff 

Photo: Thai Rath

 

Full story: THAI NEWSROOM 2023-10-12

 

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[ukrules]

What is flu medication? Are we talking antivirals like Tamiflu or just remedies?

[Pique Dard]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

warning the public to not be fooled into buying expensive smuggled counterfeits

not just only expensive counterfeits, but all counterfeit drugs

[webfact]

Influenza cases rise fivefold in Thailand amid illegal antiviral drug concerns
by Mitch Connor

 

Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash.

 

A startling surge in influenza cases has been observed in Thailand this year, with a fivefold increase compared to last year’s monthly averages. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning to the public about illegal antiviral medications labelled as oseltamivir being smuggled into the country.

 

Doctor Thira Woratanarat from the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University revealed, on his Facebook page, that from January to September this year, a significant increase in influenza cases was observed compared to the same period in the previous year. The month of January saw fewer than 20,000 cases but this number escalated to 100,000 by September, far exceeding the 20,000 cases reported in September of the previous year.

 

Dr Thira further detailed the alarming rate of increase when compared to the same period the previous year: a 5.2 times increase in January, 7.6 times in February, 3.5 times in March, 3.8 times in April, 5.3 times in May, 6.9 times in June, 7.2 times in July, 6.4 times in August, and 5.1 times in September.

Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew recently announced the prevalence of influenza variants A H1N1, A H3N2, and B viruses in Thailand. As a precautionary measure, the Public Health Ministry is extending the child vaccination age range from six months to two years old to five years old, reported Bangkok Post.

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2023-10-12

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

[HappyExpat57]

And just how are we expected to determine which is real and which is counterfeit?

[Mike Lister]

3 minutes ago, HappyExpat57 said:

And just how are we expected to determine which is real and which is counterfeit?

Easy, just ask the seller, they'll tell you. ????

[hotchilli]

8 hours ago, ukrules said:

What is flu medication? Are we talking antivirals like Tamiflu or just remedies?

I took 500mg paracetamol.. 3 days symptoms started to get better.

Cheap from any outlet, no pharmacy needed.

[koolkarl]

Likely called covid and it is ironic that the 5 fold increase in cases coincides with hordes of Chinese here again.

[mfd101]

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

I took 500mg paracetamol.. 3 days symptoms started to get better.

Cheap from any outlet, no pharmacy needed.

So was that a cause-and-effect outcome (ie the paracetamol 'cured' the flu)? or was it a symptomatic effect (ie the paracetamol soothed eg your throat while the body's natural resistance 'cured' the flu over time?

[arithai12]

5 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

And just how are we expected to determine which is real and which is counterfeit?

The article says that the inexpensive ones are counterfeit. I'd say go to a reputable hospital or clinic that will issue a medical certificate or better stamp your vaccine booklet. A clinic we trust in CM charges 690B for the regular vaccine, and almost 2k for the king kong version (65 and older).

[hotchilli]

15 hours ago, mfd101 said:

So was that a cause-and-effect outcome (ie the paracetamol 'cured' the flu)? or was it a symptomatic effect (ie the paracetamol soothed eg your throat while the body's natural resistance 'cured' the flu over time?

True there is no "cure for flu" but paracetamol relieves fever and aches...

[Hardcastle P]

Not sure what reception this will get but waring a mask will help reduce the chance of infection. We didn't suffer as much from flue when taking precautions against Covid infection did we. Or is someone going to tell me there wasn't flue about at the same time?