Southern Thailand battles surge in whooping cough cases

A surge in pertussis cases, commonly known as whooping cough, has prompted public health bodies to urge individuals, particularly in southern Thailand, to get vaccinated. So far this year, almost 100 Thai residents have been diagnosed with the infectious disease.

The Disease Control Department disclosed yesterday that there have been 93 confirmed cases of pertussis between January 1 and November 22, resulting in one fatality in Pattani. The unfortunate victim was an 18 day old infant who contracted the infection from family members, according to Dr Anurak Saraphab, a medical doctor at Pattani Provincial Public Health.

The report revealed that Pattani had the highest number of cases in the country, with 72 individuals testing positive for the disease. Dr Chaloemphol Osotpromma, director of the Office of Disease Control 12 in Songkhla, further noted that the majority of patients reside in the south. Out of the 93 diagnosed patients, 81 hailed from the deep southern provinces including Pattani and Narathiwat, reported Bangkok Post.

Among the infected, 54.7% were under a year old and 11.5% were between 1 and 4 years old. All of these were either non-vaccinated infants or those who had not received the full course of the required doses.

by Mitch Connor

Picture courtesy of MGR Online

Full story: The Thaiger 2023-11-30

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