52 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Or maybe get tested instead of taking the myriad pills the doctors tend to issue to patients reporting the symptoms.  I'd gladly pay, even a few thousand USD, if any hospital offered a suite of tests for tropical diseases.  But they just send me home with a wad of pills. 

 

 

Yes , I would too.

 

Not alarmed by the article , but I'm going to start wearing gloves when

gardening and repotting seedlings.

Here's a Hypochondriac's Buffet of tropical diseases found in Thailand.

Disease Incidence and Fatality Rates in Thailand

Disease	Chance of Contracting (per 100,000)	Case Fatality Rate	Notes
Strongyloidiasis	10,000–20,000	<1%	Prevalence in rural northeast Thailand; higher in immunocompromised
Giardia	~2,000–5,000	<0.1%	Estimated from global traveler data; underreported in Thailand
Dengue	~143	0.1–1%	Annual cases ~100,000; higher in rainy season
Chikungunya	~50–100	<0.1%	Outbreaks in southern Thailand; low mortality
Leptospirosis	~1–2	1–10%	Rural areas, rainy season; severe cases fatal
Melioidosis	~2–5	20–50%	Northeast endemic; high mortality if untreated
Malaria	~4.3	0.5–2%	Border areas; declining incidence
Scrub Typhus	~1–2	6–20%	Rural areas; underreported
Japanese Encephalitis	~0.4–1	20–30%	Northern Thailand; vaccine-preventable
Q Fever	~1–5 (est. high-risk groups)	<1–2%	Understudied; zoonotic, cattle-related
Zika	~0.3	<0.1%	Low incidence; no major outbreaks recently
Leprosy	~0.22	<0.1%	Rare, declining due to treatment
Gnathostomiasis	~0.1–1	<1%	Rare, linked to raw fish consumption
Paragonimiasis	<0.1	<1%	Sporadic cases, northeast Thailand
Angiostrongyliasis	<0.01	1–10%	Rare, severe cases (meningitis) fatal
Capillariasis	<0.01	10–30%	Very rare, high mortality if untreated
Sparganosis	<0.01	<1%	Extremely rare, case reports only
Long Covid	Unknown	Unknown	No specific incidence data for Thailand; global estimates vary widely

 

References

: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2025.
: CDC Yellow Book, 2025.
: CDC Yellow Book, 2023.
: LUMA Health, 2019.
: Dr Artima Clinic, Chiang Mai Doctor.
: TripPrep.com.
: WHO Chikungunya Fact Sheet, 2025.
: Increased risk of chikungunya infection in travellers to Thailand, 2019.
: Pacific Prime Thailand, 2025.
: Respiratory infections unique to Asia, PMC.

 

List compiled using Grok 3.

6 minutes ago, connda said:

Here's a Hypochondriac's Buffet of tropical diseases found in Thailand.

Disease Incidence and Fatality Rates in Thailand

Disease	Chance of Contracting (per 100,000)	Case Fatality Rate	Notes
Strongyloidiasis	10,000–20,000	<1%	Prevalence in rural northeast Thailand; higher in immunocompromised
Giardia	~2,000–5,000	<0.1%	Estimated from global traveler data; underreported in Thailand
Dengue	~143	0.1–1%	Annual cases ~100,000; higher in rainy season
Chikungunya	~50–100	<0.1%	Outbreaks in southern Thailand; low mortality
Leptospirosis	~1–2	1–10%	Rural areas, rainy season; severe cases fatal
Melioidosis	~2–5	20–50%	Northeast endemic; high mortality if untreated
Malaria	~4.3	0.5–2%	Border areas; declining incidence
Scrub Typhus	~1–2	6–20%	Rural areas; underreported
Japanese Encephalitis	~0.4–1	20–30%	Northern Thailand; vaccine-preventable
Q Fever	~1–5 (est. high-risk groups)	<1–2%	Understudied; zoonotic, cattle-related
Zika	~0.3	<0.1%	Low incidence; no major outbreaks recently
Leprosy	~0.22	<0.1%	Rare, declining due to treatment
Gnathostomiasis	~0.1–1	<1%	Rare, linked to raw fish consumption
Paragonimiasis	<0.1	<1%	Sporadic cases, northeast Thailand
Angiostrongyliasis	<0.01	1–10%	Rare, severe cases (meningitis) fatal
Capillariasis	<0.01	10–30%	Very rare, high mortality if untreated
Sparganosis	<0.01	<1%	Extremely rare, case reports only
Long Covid	Unknown	Unknown	No specific incidence data for Thailand; global estimates vary widely

 

References

: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2025.
: CDC Yellow Book, 2025.
: CDC Yellow Book, 2023.
: LUMA Health, 2019.
: Dr Artima Clinic, Chiang Mai Doctor.
: TripPrep.com.
: WHO Chikungunya Fact Sheet, 2025.
: Increased risk of chikungunya infection in travellers to Thailand, 2019.
: Pacific Prime Thailand, 2025.
: Respiratory infections unique to Asia, PMC.

 

List created using Grok 3.

For comparison.

Event	Chance of Occurrence (per 100,000)	Case Fatality Rate	Notes
Vehicle Accidents	~1,000–1,500	~2.5–3.5%	~700,000–1,000,000 accidents annually; 80% involve motorcycles
Lightning Strikes	~0.5–1	~10%	Rural areas, tropical climate; underreported

8 hours ago, still kicking said:

Here comes the anti-vaxers 

There is no vaccine 

34 minutes ago, FlorC said:

Yes , I would too.

 

Not alarmed by the article , but I'm going to start wearing gloves when

gardening and repotting seedlings.

 

That's not hypochondria.  It would well and truly suck to walk around feeling like crap for years, blaming old age, only to find out that I have a treatable condition. 

 

Like when my Thai cardiologist tried to send me home with a clean bill of health after a stress test, only to find out that I had 100% cardiac blockage when I insisted on the next level of tests (for which I blamed Thai doctors until my brother had the same happen to him in one of the most famous heart hospitals in the US).  Turns out, doctors miss a lot if you don't press them.

 

 

3 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

That's not hypochondria.  It would well and truly suck to walk around feeling like crap for years, blaming old age, only to find out that I have a treatable condition. 

 

Like when my Thai cardiologist tried to send me home with a clean bill of health after a stress test, only to find out that I had 100% cardiac blockage when I insisted on the next level of tests (for which I blamed Thai doctors until my brother had the same happen to him in one of the most famous heart hospitals in the US).  Turns out, doctors miss a lot if you don't press them.

 

 

If you want it done right , do it in your own country BUT

in my country they are not able to test for that , except dengue , malaria

and a few others on Connda's list.

I don't trust blood analysis by the Thai.

2 hours ago, impulse said:

But how many people are walking around not knowing they even have it? 

It's a silly argument. How many people walking around do not know they have cancer. I'll bet my left nut there are a sht load more people walking around with undiagnosed cancers than there are people walking around with undiagnosed melioidosis.

Articles like this are useful because they inform the public about potentially harmful crap. It's not hand-wringing to advise to stay out of muddy waters with open sores, don't inhale dust, don't stand in a field in a lightning storm holding an umbrella, wear a helmet when driving a motorbike, don't swim outside the red-flagged areas, etc. 

5 hours ago, impulse said:

Symptoms of disseminated infection include:

• Fever
• Headache
• Trouble breathing
• Stomach or chest pain
• Muscle pain
• Confusion
• Seizure

 

 

Isn't that the same symptoms from many different illnesses?

4 hours ago, impulse said:

 

Do you know that from statistical test results?

 

The post you're responding to indicates 236 reported case and 34 deaths.  That means there's 7 reported cases for every death.  But how many people are walking around not knowing they even have it?  All they know is that they're suffering life altering symptoms.  How many afflicted expats in Thailand just think they're getting old?

 

It would be interesting to see a study of test results in the general population and (perhaps) in the patients reporting symptoms on the list.  Then (and only then) could we reasonably make the statement you did.

 

Connda is writing typical #####

 

Actually,  if you live on a farm in Mukdahan and do some outdoor activities there,  the risk of melioidosis is not negligible. 

You will meet people who have it.

It doesn't help that the medical system in Mukdahan or Yasothon is fairly limited. 

 

If you live in a high-rise condo in Bangkok,  and never venture out of your building as you have a 7/11 in the building,  don't worry about melioidosis.

4 hours ago, Will B Good said:

 

Funnily enough I have just bought steel capped, builders wellies and put them to good use.

 

Trying to work in Thai mud in flip flops is an idiots game I've played far too long.

Good.

Working barefooted in the rice fields (Thailand,  Indonesia) gives you melioidosis, leptospirosis, etc etc.

In rich countries (Japan, Taiwan) rice farmers wear boots. Gives you fungus, pretty much untreatable, but not deadly.

 

11 hours ago, transam said:

Eh...?  

You've no children then......🤔

 

Sure have & not stuck full of god knows what  & full live healthy lives .. you do know whats you ingest right ? never sick either or with any isms or allergies  thank you for asking... we dont bother about MSM claptrap here .. you do you n mind your own fear factor .. we will get on with life without big brothers fear porn  bs  thank you 

 

Gonna die of something and dont care to waste time living in fear over some latest sky is falling story .. theres always another on the way so what ? 

12 hours ago, connda said:

Your chances of dying of Melioidosis:  0.0001028571429%
Your changes of dying on the Thai roads:  0.0254%

Put in a different form, instances of death per 100,000 people.
Melioidosis : 0.10286 per 100,000
Vehicle crash in Thailand: 25.4 per 100,000

 

Worriers gotta worry.  

I am never leaving my house again.

10 hours ago, impulse said:

 

Or maybe get tested instead of taking the myriad pills the doctors tend to issue to patients reporting the symptoms.  I'd gladly pay, even a few thousand USD, if any hospital offered a suite of tests for tropical diseases.  But they just send me home with a wad of pills. 

 

You have to request the advanced tests, and they can be expensive. I had two tests added on to my  labwork this year and they could only do the test in Bangkok, so my blood was sent there.

11 hours ago, Lacessit said:

I would have paid my GF's nephew 300 baht to do the digging for me.

Wow, taking advantage of the poor.  Doesn't jibe with the usual virtue signaling 🙂

11 hours ago, connda said:

Thai Lottery win (6M THB): 0.001% (1 per 100,000)

One chance in a million.

12 hours ago, englishoak said:

 

Sure have & not stuck full of god knows what  & full live healthy lives .. you do know whats you ingest right ? never sick either or with any isms or allergies  thank you for asking... we dont bother about MSM claptrap here .. you do you n mind your own fear factor .. we will get on with life without big brothers fear porn  bs  thank you 

 

Gonna die of something and dont care to waste time living in fear over some latest sky is falling story .. theres always another on the way so what ? 

Oh well, now I know why you have pickle as an avatar.....😬

On 7/11/2025 at 6:21 PM, faraday said:

There isn't a vaccine forMelioidosis.

 

 

Ah!  Score one to the anti-vaxers!

On 7/12/2025 at 6:21 AM, faraday said:

There isn't a vaccine forMelioidosis.

 

And even if there was one, don't think Thais would have access to it without paying a king's ransom.

On 7/13/2025 at 3:22 AM, transam said:

Oh well, now I know why you have pickle as an avatar.....😬

 

We will all end up at the same destination Are you suggesting I should live in fear like you do instead ?  not a chance.

 

I spend all day every day outside, amongst people & enjoy life to the full, I hope you do too but suspect judging by your posts you are the polar opposite.

 

Yeah i know stepping outside is a risk but ho hum, yknow life is what you make of it Oh well have a good day tolling as usual im off out,

 

ps you know most accidents take place at home so do be careful & dont forget those keyboards can harbour awful things like germs & all kinds of bacteria .. might catch something so do take time to clean it once a year at least.  Toodle pip you constantly  worried old chap. 

Just now, englishoak said:

 

We will all end up at the same destination Are you suggesting I should live in fear like you do instead ?  not a chance.

 

I spend all day every day outside, amongst people & enjoy life to the full, I hope you do too but suspect judging by your posts you are the polar opposite.

 

Yeah i know stepping outside is a risk but ho hum, yknow life is what you make of it Oh well have a good day tolling as usual im off out,

 

ps you know most accidents take place at home so do be careful & dont forget those keyboards can harbour awful things like germs & all kinds of bacteria .. might catch something so do take time to clean it once a year at least.  Toodle pip you constantly  worried old chap. 

 

Just now, englishoak said:

 

We will all end up at the same destination Are you suggesting I should live in fear like you do instead ?  not a chance.

 

I spend all day every day outside, amongst people & enjoy life to the full, I hope you do too but suspect judging by your posts you are the polar opposite.

 

Yeah i know stepping outside is a risk but ho hum, yknow life is what you make of it Oh well have a good day tolling as usual im off out,

 

ps you know most accidents take place at home so do be careful & dont forget those keyboards can harbour awful things like germs & all kinds of bacteria .. might catch something so do take time to clean it once a year at least.  Toodle pip you constantly  worried old chap. 

A lot of assumptions there, ol' chap, but if it made you feel better, yabdabadooo, eh..............