Photo courtesy of Bangkok Post

 

Thailand is experiencing a significant surge in influenza cases, with over 700,000 reported and 61 fatalities. As the country enters cooler weather, health officials urge immediate vaccination for vulnerable groups to prevent further spread. The Department of Disease Control reported 702,238 flu cases between January 1 and October 8, indicating a concerning trend.

 

Dr. Taweechai Visanuyothin, director of Disease Control Office 9 in Nakhon Ratchasima, stated that children aged 5 to 9 are most affected, while the elderly face the highest risk of mortality. The weather transition from the rainy season to winter contributes to the increased spread of respiratory infections, notably influenza.

 

Influenza transmission occurs through droplets from coughing or sneezing, with common symptoms such as high fever, cough, and fatigue. Crowded environments like schools and workplaces amplify the virus's spread. In response, health officials recommend avoiding crowded areas, wearing masks, and frequent handwashing.

 

Vaccination is critical, especially for seven high-risk groups, including pregnant women, young children, and those with chronic illnesses. People over 65, individuals with compromised immune systems, and those with obesity are also urged to receive the annual flu vaccine. Doing so reduces the risk of severe outcomes and fatalities.

 

Thailand’s health authorities are actively monitoring the flu situation and working to ensure vaccine accessibility nationwide. The public is encouraged to take preventive actions seriously to mitigate the impact of the ongoing flu season.

 

Key Takeaways

• Thailand flu cases surpass 700,000, with 61 deaths reported.
• Children and the elderly are most affected; vaccination urged.
• Preventive measures recommended as flu season intensifies.

 

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  Adapted by ASEAN Now from Bangkok Post 2025-10-10

 

 

Had it for the last 10 days, felt absolutely vile. Fever, cough, sneezing, not eat.

 

Finally getting better today.

 

Lost just under a kg, so not all bad...🤣

Are 700,000 more cases than every year?

1 minute ago, Lorry said:

Are 700,000 more cases than every year?

Do you wish to be one of the 700,000

I was asking.

It was not a rhetorical question 

 

 

--AI assisted

 

Also:

Factors affecting the number of influenza patients before and during COVID-19 pandemic, Thailand

2024 May 10

 

"In Thailand, the new influenza A strains (H1N1) 2009 (Influenza A novel H1N1: Pandemic strain) emerged in 2009 which was similar to global situation. There were 120,400 reported cases with the morbidity of 189.73 per 100,000.

...

Morbidity rate had gradually decreased until year 2014, however, it was increasing since then to the year 2019 showed morbidity rate of 596.16 per 100 000.

...

In 2020, influenza cases had decreased during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic showing morbidity rate of 186.82 per 100 000 population and case fatality rate of 0.002%.

...

During the study period, influenza morbidity rate reached the highest point in year 2019 (606 per 100,000 population), followed by 308.99 per 100,000 (in year 2017), and 282.09 per 100,000 (in year 2018)."

 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11086856/

 

21 hours ago, Bacon1 said:

Had it for the last 10 days, felt absolutely vile. Fever, cough, sneezing, not eat.

 

Finally getting better today.

 

Lost just under a kg, so not all bad...🤣

How do you know what you had?

Wow, 0.01% death... or 99.999% chances of surviving!!

I had the influenza A variety.  After 2 days at home, I then spent 2 days in the hospital before released with a bag full of meds.  Glad I spent the time in the hospital to get it under control.

Keep away from sneezing, coughing, otherwise unhealthy people.

I know it’s not a guarantee but I went ahead and got immunized last week..  Eighty is right around the corner …

Perhaps those jabs are not as effective as I thought they were!

1 hour ago, Stiddle Mump said:

How do you know what you had?

 

 

 Based on the pattern, severity, and duration of symptoms, together with additional clinical features and characteristic findings, I came to the correct conclusion of influenza. Additionally, I assessed my pmh experience & am sure it was so. 

 

 

1 hour ago, Lalo27 said:

Wow, 0.01% death... or 99.999% chances of surviving!!

less than that it seems  as seen below. 

(case fatality rate of 0.002%)

 

2 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

In 2020, influenza cases had decreased during Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic showing morbidity rate of 186.82 per 100 000 population and case fatality rate of 0.002%.

 

About the same rate as for Covid,  Flu "disappeared" for 2 years but don't  think about that at all     just remember  "safe and effective"

 "two weeks to flatten the curve" 

23 minutes ago, johng said:

less than that it seems  as seen below. 

(case fatality rate of 0.002%)

 

 

About the same rate as for Covid,  Flu "disappeared" for 2 years but don't  think about that at all     just remember  "safe and effective"

 "two weeks to flatten the curve" 

 

The figure you're selectively citing above was from 2020 when widespread COVID containment measures -- which you undoubtedly opposed -- cut the flu incidence in the U.S., Thailand and elsewhere to very low levels.

 

You selectively left out the more real-world flu mortality data pertinent to today's non lockdown environment:

'

"During the study period, influenza morbidity rate reached the highest point in year 2019 (606 per 100,000 population), followed by 308.99 per 100,000 (in year 2017), and 282.09 per 100,000 (in year 2018)."

 

The above 2019 flu morbidity rate reported for Thailand was 0.6%, and that in the context of COVID during the initial years of the pandemic have a much higher morbidity rate than the flu.

 

 

Compared to 2020 with COVID pre-vaccines:

 

"By April 25, the U.S. had more than 905,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and nearly 52,000 deaths, giving it a mortality rate around 5.7 percent. (In comparison, Spain's mortality rate was 10.2 percent and Italy's was 13.5 percent.)

...

As of early August 2020, among the 45 countries that had over 50,000 cases, the U.S. had the eighth highest number of deaths per-capita. Its case fatality ratio, however, was significantly better where it ranked 24th in the world, with 3.3% of its cases resulting in death.^[95] Several studies suggested that the number of infections was far higher than officially reported, and thus that the infection fatality rate was far lower than the case fatality rate.

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistics_of_the_COVID-19_pandemic_in_the_United_States

 

 

 

And from Johns Hopkins, tracking COVID death rates in the U.S. cumulatively thru early 2023, which included 2+ years of the impacts of widespread COVID vaccination:

 

 

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality

 

49 minutes ago, Jim Blue said:

Perhaps those jabs are not as effective as I thought they were!

 They actually aren't  highly effective.  The graphic below is from the US CDC regarding flu shot efficacy from 2009 to the present.  I ❤️ the 2021 statistic - Covid cured the flu.    Anecdotally, I used to get annual flu shots at work (free) and I came down with flu every two or three years. And I had some really nasty cases of flu to boot.  I stopped taking flu shots around 2005 and I haven't had the flu since - go figure.
Our village hospital outreach gave villagers shots earlier this year. They may have been combo-flu/RSV/Covid but couldn't really find out. Anyway, wife got the shot, wife got the flu, came down with a bad cough, and had bronchitis afterwards for the better part of two months. I didn't get the shot, I didn't get the flu, I didn't get a cough, and I haven't even had the sniffles, even though we live together in close proximity at home.  Again - go figure.  

For anyone who wants the shots?  Get the shots. "Up to you!" But I'll pass on them though.  Regarding the flu shot efficacy? It looks to be pretty much a 50/50 roll of the dice.  

 

https://www.cdc.gov/flu-vaccines-work/php/effectiveness-studies/index.html

Here's your flu vaccine effectiveness, per the CDC:

 

• "Flu vaccine prevents millions of illnesses and flu-related doctor's visits each year. For example, during 2019-2020, the last flu season prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, flu vaccination prevented an estimated 7 million influenza illnesses, 3 million influenza-associated medical visits, 100,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations, and 7,000 influenza-associated deaths.
• During seasons when flu vaccine viruses are similar to circulating flu viruses, flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor with flu by 40 - 60%."

https://www.cdc.gov/flu-vaccines-work/benefits/index.html

 

8 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

And from Johns Hopkins, tracking COVID death rates

well percentages vary a bit  

here from NIH   0.02 percent  infection fatality rate  !!!!!

 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8063914/

 

This statistical observational study was undertaken to assess the mortality rates of COVID-19 and compare the infection death rates among various countries as classified by the World Bank based on economies [8]. Also, the study has attempted to evaluate the IFRs and case fatality rates CFRs among the WHO’s regions [9].

Study population

The WHO’s global reports of those suffering from COVID-19 among the 190 plus affected countries all around the world were taken as the study population [6,10]. Those reports of total confirmed cases and total deaths that occurred until March 1, 2021, were used for statistical calculations.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

All individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 infection and belonging to all age groups and different sexes were included in the study.

Infection fatality rate

The IFR was calculated using the following formula:

IFR (%)=Total deaths/Actual infectionsX100

Case fatality rate

CFR (%)=Total deaths/Clinical cases (deaths and recovered)X100

Statistical methods

Data collected from the WHO website were entered into a Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA) sheet. Mean, standard deviation, p-value, and percentages were calculated.
Results

 

You're quoting this from 2021. The authors are who exactly? Venkataramana Kandi???

 

 

Also, Infection Fatality Rates (IFRs) for COVID alone are a pretty unreliable statistic:

 

 

--AI assisted

 

9 minutes ago, connda said:

They actually aren't  highly effective. 

Been known for years but they still push it.
here a report from CBS News 2006.....

( BTW its not about hormone replacement)

 

 yeah yea new vaccines 😄

those old ones are nothing like the new ones "safe and effective"

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

You're quoting this from 2021. Who???

Yes they knew right from the beginning that the IFR was very small..  Who ???  yes them too. 

6 minutes ago, johng said:

Been known for years but they still push it.
here a report from CBS News 2006.....

( BTW its not about hormone replacement)

 

 yeah yea new vaccines 😄

those old ones are nothing like the new ones "safe and effective"

 

A TV report from 2006 is irrelevant for today's flu vaccine discussions. Totally different eras of flu vaccines... But then you already knew that and posted an outdated report anyway...

 

"In 2012, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved influenza vaccines made by growing virus in cell cultures,^[48][49][50] and influenza vaccines made from recombinant proteins were approved in 2013.

...

Starting with the 2018–2019 influenza season most of the regular-dose egg-based flu shots and all the recombinant and cell-grown flu vaccines in the United States are quadrivalent.^[62] In the 2019–2020 influenza season all regular-dose flu shots and all recombinant influenza vaccine in the United States are quadrivalent.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influenza_vaccine

 

 

 

Here we go again - Thailand the hub of covid/influenza and mask wearing paranoia!

 

Very glad I no longer live in the land of not so many smiles!

 

For reference, I have had 6 vaccinations over the years and at 81 years do not suffer from the 'flu. (yet)

 

No further comment from me. What you do in Thailand is of no concern of mine.

What the article doesn't say is where there are the most cases.

North ? The cold hasn't come yet , maybe for the few that live high in the mountains.

Korat like the doctor in the OP , is not really north.

 

How many of the 700k have had the covid shots ?

Those shots weaken the immune system.

14 minutes ago, FlorC said:

How many of the 700k have had the covid shots ?

Those shots weaken the immune system.

 

No, they don't. And that's just an anti-vaxer trope.

 

Case report: 217 COVID vaccine doses haven't harmed man's immune system

 

 

March 5, 2024

 

"A German man who claims to have received 217 doses of eight different COVID-19 vaccines for "private reasons" has a fully functional immune system and much higher concentrations of immune cells and antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 than those seen in recipients of three doses, researchers report in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

 

Of the 217 doses the man said he received over 29 months, 134 have been officially confirmed.

 

The 62-year-old man from Magdeburg agreed to undergo medical testing in Erlangen after researchers there read newspaper articles on his case and were interested in learning the immunologic consequences of hypervaccination. He gave them access to the results of blood tests he had taken in recent years and donated blood samples for further testing as he continued to seek more doses of his own volition."

 

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/case-report-217-covid-vaccine-doses-havent-harmed-mans-immune-system

 

AND

 

--AI assisted

 

 

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Keep away from sneezing, coughing, otherwise unhealthy people.

You could wear a mask??😅

38 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

This just is not so.

 

Influenza is not caused by a virus. To say so is anti-science, anti-nature and downright untruthful.

21 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Here's your flu vaccine effectiveness, per the CDC:

 

• "Flu vaccine prevents millions of illnesses and flu-related doctor's visits each year. For example, during 2019-2020, the last flu season prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, flu vaccination prevented an estimated 7 million influenza illnesses, 3 million influenza-associated medical visits, 100,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations, and 7,000 influenza-associated deaths.
• During seasons when flu vaccine viruses are similar to circulating flu viruses, flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor with flu by 40 - 60%."

https://www.cdc.gov/flu-vaccines-work/benefits/index.html

The CDC link you posted https://www.cdc.gov/flu-vaccines-work/benefits/index.html is a CDC flu-shot cheerleading piece that cherry picks statistics to back it's narrative that the flu shots are the best thing since sliced bread.

Then there are the CDC overview of effectiveness studies.  No cheerleading and as Det. Joe Friday says in Dragnet, "Just the facts ma'am," or in this case, "Just the efficacy ma'am." 

https://www.cdc.gov/flu-vaccines-work/php/effectiveness-studies/index.html

 

Here's the CDC's flu shot effectiveness report by year and by effectiveness in Excel chart form (easier to see maybe).  I added the headers and the average and took out 2021 as there was no data.  Derived from the chart published here on the CDC's web site:  https://www.cdc.gov/flu-vaccines-work/media/files/2025/05/Vaccine-Effectiveness-Chart-2025.xlsx  Average efficacy over a 14 year period is 43%. 

If anyone wants to consider that highly effective, I'm fine with that.  Personally, I look at the CDC's studies and they tell me that the shots are not all that effective.  But really, it doesn't matter to me because I don't take the shots, and I don't get the flu. 

 

 

58 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Here's your flu vaccine effectiveness, per the CDC:

 

• "Flu vaccine prevents millions of illnesses and flu-related doctor's visits each year. For example, during 2019-2020, the last flu season prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, flu vaccination prevented an estimated 7 million influenza illnesses, 3 million influenza-associated medical visits, 100,000 influenza-associated hospitalizations, and 7,000 influenza-associated deaths.
• During seasons when flu vaccine viruses are similar to circulating flu viruses, flu vaccine has been shown to reduce the risk of having to go to the doctor with flu by 40 - 60%."

https://www.cdc.gov/flu-vaccines-work/benefits/index.html

 

 

That's pretty much what I reported above. The effectiveness varies by year, depending on how well or poorly the chosen vaccine strains match what actually ends up circulating during flu season.

 

I'll take the average 43% reduction in risk vs. going unvaccinated.