Phuket: 123 Confirmed Dengue Fever Cases

[webfact]

123 dengue cases in Phuket

The vector for dengue is the Aedes mosquito,

which also spreads misery in the form of yellow

fever and chikungunya.

PHUKET: -- There are 123 confirmed cases of dengue fever in Phuket, public health workers have confirmed.

Dr Narinrat Pitchayakamint of the Phuket Public Health Office said the number of cases is higher now than this time last year.

According to Ministry of Public Health statistics, Phuket currently ranks 11th out of Thailand’s 76 provinces in terms of incidence of infection, with about 30 cases per 100,000.

Cases of dengue typically increase during the May to December rainy season. Global warming may be creating hot and humid conditions more favorable for breeding of the Aedes aegypti mosquito that spreads the disease, Dr Narinrat said.

To prevent an epidemic the Phuket Public Health Office is once again working with local administrative organizations and other agencies to encourage people to empty standing vessels of water, coordinate spraying of homes and other preventative measures aimed at stopping the mosquito from breeding, she said.

-- Phuket Gazette 2010-05-06

[newsfooter][/newsfooter]

[MacWalen]

Great picture of the villain. Will mosquito spray work? What are the most dangerous times of the day? Was it early evening 5-6 pm?

[Jimi007]

Great! I'm just starting to get better from the Chikungunya I caught last July! What area of Phuket has the outbreak? Are they sure it's Dengue? Chikungunya is very similar in many ways. But you can get Dengue more than once and it can be worse each time...

Edited May 6, 2010 by Jimi007

[wlcart]

"According to Ministry of Public Health statistics, Phuket currently ranks 11th out of Thailand’s 76 provinces in terms of incidence of infection, with about 30 cases per 100,000."

I wonder how many cases in the whole country? If Phuket is ranked 11th with 123, then there must be thousands.

I had no idea Thailand has so many. From everything I have heard Dengue is one nasty disease.

I also wonder if everyone who ends up in Phucket with Dengue caught the disease there or somewhere else?

[LaoPo]

If this news hits the Western and Asian press....bye bye Phuket tourism for quite some time.....

LaoPo

[elcent]

This was on the front page on CNN yesterday

Forget Phuket, these are the next-gen Asian tourist hotspots

For better or for worse, Marinduque, Phu Quoc, Hainan and the Ho Tram Strip are being touted by developers and local governments as Asia's next major tourist destinations. Here's why

Read more: Asia's future tourist hotspots | CNNGo.com http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/none/asi...9#ixzz0n99QLoSA

[chiang mai]

Great picture of the villain. Will mosquito spray work? What are the most dangerous times of the day? Was it early evening 5-6 pm?

It's a day time mossie that's most active around sun up and sun down, mossie sprays will kill it easily.

[alobar]

I've had it twice in Thailand. I highly recommend NOT getting it. There is a prodromal period where you could be coming from an endemic area, so hard to know where exactly it was picked up. The first time for me was up in the Golden Triangle. I asked a field guide about it, as I had thought there was a mosquito eradication program in Thailand. He said; 'yes but mosquito don't have passport'.

Chok dee

[norwayeagle]

If this news hits the Western and Asian press....bye bye Phuket tourism for quite some time.....

LaoPo

Yeah That might happen,after the incredible swineflue kind of vanished up in the air with the Birds (flue)

Nothing much going on these days(well except from reds,whites,black and blue)(nothing much) so the papers need some headlines .And people will run and by just like chickens ( chickens have small brains) hehehe

Lure.Is it that what it's called? (bait)

[surangw]

If this news hits the Western and Asian press....bye bye Phuket tourism for quite some time.....

LaoPo

Yeah That might happen,after the incredible swineflue kind of vanished up in the air with the Birds (flue)

Nothing much going on these days(well except from reds,whites,black and blue)(nothing much) so the papers need some headlines .And people will run and by just like chickens ( chickens have small brains) hehehe

Lure.Is it that what it's called? (bait)

if there is world wide money to be made ( like swine flue vaccine ) we may see some real scary ads soon

[Sisaketmike]

If this news hits the Western and Asian press....bye bye Phuket tourism for quite some time.....

LaoPo

Do they come in a yellow or a red shirt, sorry I'm new here......

[flotsam]

I read in an Insect book on SE asian bugs that living in a stilt house or otherwise off the ground can reduce your odds of getting bit by this mosquito. Apparently this and some other types of mosquitoes tend to “hunt” only a few feet off the ground even though they can fly. The author said even just being a few meters off the ground can reduce your chances of getting bit. It is apparently a positive side effect of a stilt house. I don’t know how much truth there is to it but I probably wouldn’t move into a stilt house and throw away my mosquito net.

[cdnmatt]

I read in an Insect book on SE asian bugs that living in a stilt house or otherwise off the ground can reduce your odds of getting bit by this mosquito. Apparently this and some other types of mosquitoes tend to "hunt" only a few feet off the ground even though they can fly. The author said even just being a few meters off the ground can reduce your chances of getting bit. It is apparently a positive side effect of a stilt house. I don't know how much truth there is to it but I probably wouldn't move into a stilt house and throw away my mosquito net.

It's a half-truth. Mosquitos are heat sensitive, and they follow the heat. Obviously, there's more heat on the ground than a few meters above it, so that's where they tend to stay.

[ratanafarmer]

Same old story,health officials deny for years,there is no Malaria,Dengue or Chikungunya in Thailand!

I live in E-san,about 30 km from the Cambodia border.Only in my Village,more than 20 people have died the last 3 years of Malaria,The lokal doctor can confirm this,but.....!?

You see,15 years ago,no H.I.V aids,later no Asian-Flu,etc etc.

Same,Same T.I.T.

[Spee]

Three words .... dee ... dee ... tee.

This is totally preventable human suffering.

[LaoPo]

Same old story,health officials deny for years,there is no Malaria,Dengue or Chikungunya in Thailand!

I live in E-san,about 30 km from the Cambodia border.Only in my Village,more than 20 people have died the last 3 years of Malaria,The lokal doctor can confirm this,but.....!?

You see,15 years ago,no H.I.V aids,later no Asian-Flu,etc etc.

Same,Same T.I.T.

..and you still live there...?

LaoPo

[richardjm65]

I believe that Dengue is thought to be incurable, though not untreatable, and apart from the usual medications to reduce symptoms there seems to be little that can help. However, I've read recently that papaya leaves have been shown to be effective in treating the disease. For what it's worth (and I have no proof of its effectiveness), you use 5 good size fresh, washed and clean papaya leaves chopped fine and boil those in an open pan with a couple of litres of water. Continue to boil until the liquid has decreased by half, transfer to glass bottles (not plastic) and chill in the 'fridge. Dosage is said to be 3 tablespoons, 3 times a day. The liquid comes out brown-ish in colour and is bitter to the taste. It might help someone. It is also believed to be helpful in the control of some forms of cancer, but I can't vouch for that.

[minburi2]

Great picture of the villain. Will mosquito spray work? What are the most dangerous times of the day? Was it early evening 5-6 pm?

It's a day time mossie that's most active around sun up and sun down, mossie sprays will kill it easily.

Can't we catch them and diliver them to the red-skirts in BKK

[Jimi007]

Three words .... dee ... dee ... tee.

This is totally preventable human suffering.

DTT is an awful insecticide that is long lasting, gets into fish and the whole food chain. We still have contamination from it's use in the costal waters of California from farm runoff. It was banned 30 years ago, not actually sure of the exact year, but you get the point... DEET though I use about everyday! On me! Helps fend off those little suckers. I wasn't using it when I caught Chikungunya. I should have!

[Spee]

Three words .... dee ... dee ... tee.

This is totally preventable human suffering.

DTT is an awful insecticide that is long lasting, gets into fish and the whole food chain. We still have contamination from it's use in the costal waters of California from farm runoff.

Yet another indoctrinated myth believer ....

Let's dispel the myths and replace them with facts ...

http://www.eco-imperialism.com/content/article.php3?id=89

http://www.eco-imperialism.com/content/article.php3?id=209

http://www.junkscience.com/ddtfaq.html

Tens of millions of fellow human beings have died as a result of mosquito-borne diseases, since the use of DDT was banned. These are painful, awful, slow deaths. People who suggest that we "defend" the environment as a higher priority than saving the lives of fellow humans are completely despicable with a truly warped sense of priorities.

[walterego]

<deleted> is Chikungunya? (thanks to google I already know now, however thank you for raising my awareness to this disease, that is very simmilar to Dengue.)

The following are the only mosquito borne virus/diseases I know of in Thailand:

Dengue -the guy who caught it twice already- your lucky the virus has only 4 strains and you can only ever catch 1 strain once.... Only 2 more to go!

Malaria. lTreatable however new strains in Cambodia would seem to show resistance to current treatments.

Japanese Encephalitis (vaccine available).

Very busy reading about Chikungunya now. Very interesting, thanks a lot.