Phuket Dengue Fever Cases On The Rise

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Phuket dengue fever cases on the rise
Naraporn Tuarob

PHUKET: -- The number of people who have died from dengue fever in Phuket this year stands at one – a young Burmese girl – but the number of confirmed cases on the island so far is more than double that of last year.

A spokesman from Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPPHO) told The Phuket News today (April 23) there had been 122 confirmed cases of the disease reported this year between January 1 and April 18.

In the same period last year, there were 50 reported cases.

Deputy Director of Vachira Phuket Hospital, Dr Nara Kingkaew, told The Phuket News the reason for the increase was that the Phuket population had grown, and there was higher humidity this year than last, which created a good breeding environment for the mosquito larvae.

Dr Nara said he was concerned about the rising number of cases, and said that children under 20 were more at risk of catching the disease.

There were also still a large number of people who did not follow advice from the health office about how to stop dengue spreading, he said.

“People should pay more attention to their houses. You can’t just depend on the government or local authorities to handle the situation – you have to take care of your own house area.”

A spokesperson from the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office Disease Control Department said she was concerned about the increasing number of cases in Phuket, but said dengue fever was common every year.

PPPHO Provincial Chief Medical Officer Dr Buncha Kakhong said medical tests on the six year old Burmese girl who died at Vachira showed she died from dengue fever. She had arrived in Phuket recently with her family.

“If you know of someone who has a cold or high fever (higher than 38.5 degrees) for more than two days, please bring them to the hospital or health office, where we can test them.”

Tomorrow (April 24), the PPPHO will launch the “3-3-3 Measure” dengue fever health campaign, which will last three months.

During the first three days of the campaign, health officers will visit people who live in at-risk areas around Phuket, and test those who they think might have the disease.

The officers then have three weeks to put together all the information for those who are infected.

Over the whole three month period, there will be mosquito repellant available free of charge from all hospitals across Phuket, plus clinics, and provincial health offices.

“Please spread the word,” Dr Buncha said.

The PPPHO advises people to use insect repellant, put mosquito screens up on doors and windows, change the water in tanks or vases regularly, and don’t leave any containers of stagnant water around.

Across Thailand there have been 22,495 confirmed cases of the disease so far this year, and the nationwide death toll stands at 25.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-dengue-fever-cases-on-the-rise-38888.php


-- Phuket News 2013-04-23

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Phuket Governor combats dengue with ‘333’ strategy
Phuket Gazette

PHUKET: -- The Phuket Governor has branded his new strategy to combat the spread of dengue fever in Phuket with the lucky number 333, representing a sustained campaign of “three days, three weeks, three months”.

After witnessing a sharp increase in the number of people contracting the disease in the past three months, Governor Maitri Inthusut yesterday called on communities across the island to step up the fight against dengue .

He also urged the Phuket Public Health Office and local authorities to keep an eye on the rapid spread of dengue fever in their areas.

“According to Health Office statistics, 323 people contracted dengue fever between January 1 and April 17 this year. The number is more than six times greater than the number of people who contracted dengue during the same period last year,” he said.

“The infection rate [in Phuket during the period] was 93.6 per 100,000 inhabitants. One person has died so far,” Gov Maitri said.

The rise in the number of dengue cases was most prevalent in Phuket’s Thalang District, covering the north of the island, followed by Kathu District and Muang District, respectively, he added.

“To prevent the spread of dengue, local organizations must use the ‘three days, three weeks, three months’ strategy in their areas,” the governor ordered.

Under the 333 campaign, local officials have three days to identify possible dengue patients in their areas and have them brought to a hospital for treatment.

“If the doctor confirms the patient does indeed have dengue, then the village where the patient lives has three weeks to get rid of all potential sources of Aedes aegypti mosquito [which carries the disease]. This will continue for three months,” Gov Maitri explained.

The three days of identifying possible dengue sufferers will start tomorrow and conclude on Friday.

“Public Health officers will check for suspected dengue patients in every community,” the governor said.

Phuket Public Health chief Bancha Kakong suggested five steps to prevent the spread of dengue.

“First, remove or cover all sources of unused standing water to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs in them. Second, regularly change the water in baths, flowerpot plates, dishes and so on. Third, add Abate sand granules to all uncovered water sources. Fourth, clean up areas around the house and throughout the community to make sure there are no unknown sources of standing water. Fifth, clean water bowls and water containers regularly,” he said.

Dr Bancha explained that symptoms of dengue fever can include severe headache, joint and muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting and skin rash, which may appear over the body three to four days after the onset of fever.

“More serious symptoms include bleeding from the nose, mouth, gums and under the skin,” he said.

“There is no specific medical treatment and no vaccine for dengue infection. The best way to protect against dengue is to avoid mosquito bites,” he added.

“See a doctor immediately if you think you may have dengue,” he advised.

Dr Bancha explained that his officers will launch a dengue public-awareness campaign, starting with Thalang District, the hardest hit area in Phuket.

“We will explain to residents how to protect themselves from contracting dengue fever. Later, we will continue our campaign in Kathu and Muang Districts,” he said.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/Phuket-Governor-combats-dengue-with-333-strategy-20870.html


-- Phuket Gazette 2013-04-23

[pjuk]

I live in Samui and Dengue in Ko Samui, Ko Tao and Ko Phangan is a real problem at the moment.

I tested positive for Dengue about 5 weeks ago, the Doctor (Bangkok Samui Hospital) told me it was a big problem on the islands and his wards were full of Dengue
sufferers.

Speaking to other long term expats nearly all of them had either had Dengue or knew somebody who had suffered with it.

Speaking from experience if you get a fever for more than two days go to a hospital and have a blood test if you prove positive all you can do is literally sweat it out. I had a fever of 40c for 7/8 days, I couldn't eat and getting up off my back was not easy, in short you feel like the biggest bag of poop imaginable.

As the post states there is nothing you can take except paracetamol for the aches but you MUST drink loads of water and electrolytes, I managed to drink milk which I'm sure helped me beat it so soon, antihistamine will help if you get a rash, under NO circumstances take any Aspirin. Force yourself to take a shower (hot if possible) every couple of hours, it helps.

As for preventing it ! Apart from wearing full body armour how do you prevent the pesky mossies from biting you? And it's only the females that carry it, which some of my female friends found amusing, what goes around comes around sort of thing !!

But in the big picture you stand more chance of damaging yourself falling off a motor bike or bar stool than getting Dengue so keep having fun and don't worry about it.

[Jimi007]

I live in Samui and Dengue in Ko Samui, Ko Tao and Ko Phangan is a real problem at the moment.

I tested positive for Dengue about 5 weeks ago, the Doctor (Bangkok Samui Hospital) told me it was a big problem on the islands and his wards were full of Dengue

sufferers.

Speaking to other long term expats nearly all of them had either had Dengue or knew somebody who had suffered with it.

Speaking from experience if you get a fever for more than two days go to a hospital and have a blood test if you prove positive all you can do is literally sweat it out. I had a fever of 40c for 7/8 days, I couldn't eat and getting up off my back was not easy, in short you feel like the biggest bag of poop imaginable.

As the post states there is nothing you can take except paracetamol for the aches but you MUST drink loads of water and electrolytes, I managed to drink milk which I'm sure helped me beat it so soon, antihistamine will help if you get a rash, under NO circumstances take any Aspirin. Force yourself to take a shower (hot if possible) every couple of hours, it helps.

As for preventing it ! Apart from wearing full body armour how do you prevent the pesky mossies from biting you? And it's only the females that carry it, which some of my female friends found amusing, what goes around comes around sort of thing !!

But in the big picture you stand more chance of damaging yourself falling off a motor bike or bar stool than getting Dengue so keep having fun and don't worry about it.

I like your optimistic outlook. I suffered with Chikungunya, which is from the same Aedes Mosquito as many other diseases, including the four types of Dengue, West Nile Virus and Yellow Fever. I was on morphine for several months. I needed a walker to get from the bed to the toilet. I couldn't work for almost three years. Dengue can be very serious, one type is life threatening. Good luck to us all. We'll need it.

[Pinot]

I live in Samui and Dengue in Ko Samui, Ko Tao and Ko Phangan is a real problem at the moment.

I tested positive for Dengue about 5 weeks ago, the Doctor (Bangkok Samui Hospital) told me it was a big problem on the islands and his wards were full of Dengue

sufferers.

Speaking to other long term expats nearly all of them had either had Dengue or knew somebody who had suffered with it.

Speaking from experience if you get a fever for more than two days go to a hospital and have a blood test if you prove positive all you can do is literally sweat it out. I had a fever of 40c for 7/8 days, I couldn't eat and getting up off my back was not easy, in short you feel like the biggest bag of poop imaginable.

As the post states there is nothing you can take except paracetamol for the aches but you MUST drink loads of water and electrolytes, I managed to drink milk which I'm sure helped me beat it so soon, antihistamine will help if you get a rash, under NO circumstances take any Aspirin. Force yourself to take a shower (hot if possible) every couple of hours, it helps.

As for preventing it ! Apart from wearing full body armour how do you prevent the pesky mossies from biting you? And it's only the females that carry it, which some of my female friends found amusing, what goes around comes around sort of thing !!

But in the big picture you stand more chance of damaging yourself falling off a motor bike or bar stool than getting Dengue so keep having fun and don't worry about it.

What's the problem with Aspirin out of curiosity?

[xylophone]

Aspirin thins the blood and Dengue can turn bad with hemorrhagic fever, which is where internal bleeding occurs. Very often seen in small red lumps under the skin after the disease takes hold, and can prove fatal. So anything which assists blood to flow more freely should be avoided.

[Jimi007]

I live in Samui and Dengue in Ko Samui, Ko Tao and Ko Phangan is a real problem at the moment.

I tested positive for Dengue about 5 weeks ago, the Doctor (Bangkok Samui Hospital) told me it was a big problem on the islands and his wards were full of Dengue

sufferers.

Speaking to other long term expats nearly all of them had either had Dengue or knew somebody who had suffered with it.

Speaking from experience if you get a fever for more than two days go to a hospital and have a blood test if you prove positive all you can do is literally sweat it out. I had a fever of 40c for 7/8 days, I couldn't eat and getting up off my back was not easy, in short you feel like the biggest bag of poop imaginable.

As the post states there is nothing you can take except paracetamol for the aches but you MUST drink loads of water and electrolytes, I managed to drink milk which I'm sure helped me beat it so soon, antihistamine will help if you get a rash, under NO circumstances take any Aspirin. Force yourself to take a shower (hot if possible) every couple of hours, it helps.

As for preventing it ! Apart from wearing full body armour how do you prevent the pesky mossies from biting you? And it's only the females that carry it, which some of my female friends found amusing, what goes around comes around sort of thing !!

But in the big picture you stand more chance of damaging yourself falling off a motor bike or bar stool than getting Dengue so keep having fun and don't worry about it.

What's the problem with Aspirin out of curiosity?

From the CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/dengue/symptoms/

There is no specific medication for treatment of a dengue infection. Persons who think they have dengue should use analgesics (pain relievers) with acetaminophen and avoid those containing ibuprofen, Naproxen, aspirin or aspirin containing drugs. They should also rest, drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration, avoid mosquito bites while febrile and consult a physician.

Because of bleeding...

[horsewell]

I've seen a definite rise of mosquitos over the last year or so. Previously, I hardly even noticed them. Have known people to have dengue but not had it myself and hopefully wont ever.

[Jimi007]

I've seen a definite rise of mosquitos over the last year or so. Previously, I hardly even noticed them. Have known people to have dengue but not had it myself and hopefully wont ever.

It's only one species of mosquito that you really need to be concerned about around here. The Aedes Mosquito. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aedes