Thai Public Health Min: Dengue Fever Situation Worrisome

[Thai at Heart]

Dengue is primarily carried by the female Anopheles Aedes Aegypti. It's the fastest growing arbovirus (arthopod borne virus) on the planet.

There is an incubation period following the bite of a Dengeue-carrying mosquito during which most people will be asymptomatic.

When the virus "blooms," the typical experience, like mine several years ago, is to feel suddenly "deathly" ill, and weak, and to have high-fever.

There are four strains of Dengue, and, while there is some debate about whether cross-immunization can occur, the majority opinion is that having one strain does not mean you can't get another.

There is no "treatment" for Dengue in the "curative" sense of that word: treatment is palliative, and symptomatic.

The great danger is that your red blood platelet count will go so low that your blood becomes so thin that it can perfuse into your lungs, or eyes. This very dangerous, potentially fatal, possible stage of Dengue is referred to as "hemorrhagic dengue fever." If a person has this stage of Dengue, they may require blood transfusions in order to survive. Or, your blood-pressure may fall to such a low-level that you will experience possibly fatal "Dengue shock syndrome."

The good news is that if Dengue hasn't killed you by about the seventh day after symptoms appear, you will, likely, survive.

I did not have to go into the hospital, but some people will need to be hospitalized, even if they are not in the hemorrhagic state.

The important thing is to get your red-blood platelet count monitored as frequently as you doctors advise.

And, Dengue can be more fatal to young children, and elderly, people, as well as those with weakened immune systems, cancer survivors, etc.

It took me about six-weeks to fully recover from Dengue. I had IV re-hydration, out-patient, during the high-fever period, twice.

The old British Colonial name for Dengue was "breakbone fever;" I did not have joint-pain symptoms specifically, for which I am thankful.

Here's to your health, and I'm hoping you never experience Dengue !

If you, or any family member, do suddenly go into a weak, and feverish, state, I hope you go to a good doctor immediately !

~o:37;

i think you meant Aedes aegypti only. mosquitoes of the Anopheles genus carry malaria.

female Aedes mosquitoes feed mostly during the day and in urbanized areas where clean stagnant water (the preferred breeding habitat of these mosquitoes) are commonplace. these mosquitoes also have a short flight range (200-500m) but enough to transmit dengue due to high population densities in urban areas.

the dengue virus indeed has four serotypes - 1 to 4. a naive or first attack (from one serotype) presents as high-grade fever but is rarely fatal. once a person contracts a dengue serotype (eg serotype 1), that person acquires lifelong immunity from the serotype. the more dangerous dengue hemorrhagic fever occurs when a person suffers from a second attack from the other serotypes (2, 3, and 4).

there are no vaccines or a single pill that prevents and/or cure dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever. as with most viral infections, supportive therapy (treating the symptoms - fever, muscle pains, etc) is the only way to "treat" patients.

2 to 500m.

So basically, keeping your house as well as possible if the idiot next door has a pile of rubber tyres.

And you wonder why it takes a government like Singapore to organise this type of control.

[SanSaiExPat]

Its a pity the Thai Government doesn't apply to reintroduce the "proper" application of DDT to mitigate the dangers of Dengue fever and malaria in Thailand. See links for more information. http://perc.org/articles/legacy-ddt-ban

During the decades since the banning of DDT in the United States, research on DDT has continued. This research indicates that when DDT spraying is ended, malaria's incidence rises markedly. In the high and moderate risk regions of Columbia and Peru, for example, the risk of malaria doubled when spraying ceased in the 1990s. The disease has returned to areas in which it had been eradicated: urban areas of the Amazon Basin, Korea, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Tajikistan. In Sri Lanka, malaria cases fell from 2.8 million and 7,300 deaths per year before DDT spraying, to 17 cases and no deaths (Roberts, Manguin, and Mouchet 2000). When the spraying stopped in 1961, malaria jumped back to 500,000 cases by 1969 (Attaran et al. 2000, 729). The spread of the disease means that it has reappeared even in the United States and Europe.

That DDT is effective has never been the main issue; the key questions concern long-term toxicity and environmental damage. Yet "claims of risks of DDT to human health and the environment have not been confirmed by replicated scientific inquiry," write Roberts, Manguin, and Mouchet (2000, 33). Evidence from more than 50 years of use indicate that, properly applied, DDT is not harmful to humans or the environment in general.

http://www.rollbackmalaria.org/

[orang37]

i think you meant Aedes aegypti only. mosquitoes of the Anopheles genus carry malaria.

...

the dengue virus indeed has four serotypes - 1 to 4. a naive or first attack (from one serotype) presents as high-grade fever but is rarely fatal. once a person contracts a dengue serotype (eg serotype 1), that person acquires lifelong immunity from the serotype. the more dangerous dengue hemorrhagic fever occurs when a person suffers from a second attack from the other serotypes (2, 3, and 4).

Sawasdee Khrup Khun IrwinFC,

You are absolutely right, Sir: Anopheles is a genus of sub-family Anophelinae, family Culicidae; Aedes Aegypti is a species of genus Aedes, sub-family Culicinae, family Culicidae. I hope that's not going to be on the final

You make a very good point in bringing up the increased danger of another infection, by a different strain of Dengue !

Experience with Dengue does vary from person to person: in my case, I, praise be, had no rash, no joint-pain, but dancing with Debby Dengue was still a soul-breaking nightmare.

My understanding is that Aedes Albopictus can also carry the same nasties as Aegypti.

One who improves my soul is a saint, one who improves my mind is a mentor.

~o:37;

Edited June 3, 2013 by orang37

[orang37]

I appreciate the many informative comments in this thread !

I wonder if Debby Dengue remembered that night in Bangkok ?

I can't remember much about that night, just snippets of the start of our conversation, before we got down to bloodiness:

Debby: "Pom ao leut kong Khun ... "I want your blood"

Orang37: "Khun Deb-ee, rao poot suk anee dai mai ?" ... "Can we talk about this, Khun Debby ?"

Debby: "Ao leut Khun, deonee !" ... "Want your blood, now !"

Orang37: "Pom khit Khun mai chaab leut Pom ... ching ching, portwah: Pom mai sop, mai lao lao kao... banthee leut kong Pom pleaow, mai sot cheun" ... "I think you don't want my blood ... really ... I don't smoke, I don't drink rotgut ... maybe my blood is sour, not fresh"

Debby: "Deo glaew gap withee ### leut ?" ... "How about, censored-second-person-disrespectful-pronoun (the context implies the act of drinking) ... blood ?"

Orang37: "na traak ... tam mai ### mai suphab ?" ... "(you) break (my) face ... why are censored-second-person-disrespectful-pronoun so rude ?

Debby: "mai poot kee khwai ! ### hew lao leut" ... "shut up excrement-of-water-buffalo ! censored-first-person-disrespectful-pronoun am thirsty for blood"

At that point, everything fades to black of no-dream's sweat.

~o:37;

[partington]

I would just like to say 1 more very important thing before I shut up and go away, and that is that I have been told by people far more experienced than I that 1 of the main reasons that dengue takes a hold in people is through the ingestion of too much Sugar!!!

In common with cancer cells, pathogens thrive in a sugary environment. so if you want to avoid dengue I am told that avoiding sugar or reducing your sugar intake is the absolute number 1 way to do so. Problem is of course - and this could be the reason why there has been a rise in the number of dengue cases - is just how much sugar, sweets and chocolates are now available everywhere in asia. dengue and sugar do not go together well.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

This post is completely incorrect. Dengue is a virus and its ability to infect cells is not affected by blood sugar. Your blood contains sugar ALL THE TIME, and unless you are diabetic this level is similar in most people. All the cells of your body need this sugar to survive which is why it's there. As cancer cells are in fact, cells, they of course need sugar. They use more of it because they are dividing more rapidly than normal cells and so need more fuel, but the glucose in blood is always sufficient for cancer growth , except under special circumstances (eg tumors with insufficient blood supply because the blood vessels aren't there.)

There is no connection between Dengue infectivity and blood sugar.

Whoever told you this crock may just have been confused, as an occasional very rare effect of catching severe dengue is pancreatitis, which can disrupt insulin production and cause high blood sugar.

[Sheryl]

Having searched the internet, have found these:

No specific treatment for dengue fever exists.

There is no specific medicine to treat dengue infection.

Having also read the link above from wikipedia regarding this sodium chlorite or MMS is not a viable claim as a cure for much of anything. Further postings supporting this claim will be deleted.

As above.

MMS (which is basically bleach) has not been proven to cure anything and most definitely will not cure dengue.

Neither will any homeopathic remedies.

Posts spreading such dangerous misinformation will be deleted.

Doxycyline has no efficacy in preventing Dengue. there is currently no prevention available other than avoiding mosquito bites.

Dengue is preset everywhere in Thailand. Specific spots may have more transmission than others, these will be places with stagnant uncovered water about, which is what the vector breeds in. Fresh markets can be a common culprit for this reason. Likewise rural homes with water jars that aren't well covered.

There is a wide spectrum of severity of infection with dengue. Some cases are so mild as to be almost imperceptible, i.e. you may have had it and never even known it, or just thought you had a mild flu for a day or two. Other people get very ill, with shaking chills and high fever. You'll know if you are in that group, believe me (I've been there).

A minority of cases develop a hemorraghic complication. Most do not. Except for the hemorraghic form, there are no serious risks associated with it, it's just an unpleasant disease which at the more severe end of the spectrum can leave you feeling quite weak & depressed for weeks afterwards.

There are tens of thousands of cases of dengue in this part of the world every single year, it is an endemic disease. Every 2-3 years the incidence increases to epidemic proportions and this is one of these years. Same thing happened a few years back and will a few years hence, it is cyclical.

[Sheryl]

I would just like to say 1 more very important thing before I shut up and go away, and that is that I have been told by people far more experienced than I that 1 of the main reasons that dengue takes a hold in people is through the ingestion of too much Sugar!!!

In common with cancer cells, pathogens thrive in a sugary environment. so if you want to avoid dengue I am told that avoiding sugar or reducing your sugar intake is the absolute number 1 way to do so. Problem is of course - and this could be the reason why there has been a rise in the number of dengue cases - is just how much sugar, sweets and chocolates are now available everywhere in asia. dengue and sugar do not go together well.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

This post is completely incorrect. Dengue is a virus and its ability to infect cells is not affected by blood sugar. Your blood contains sugar ALL THE TIME, and unless you are diabetic this level is similar in most people. All the cells of your body need this sugar to survive which is why it's there. As cancer cells are in fact, cells, they of course need sugar. They use more of it because they are dividing more rapidly than normal cells and so need more fuel, but the glucose in blood is always sufficient for cancer growth , except under special circumstances (eg tumors with insufficient blood supply because the blood vessels aren't there.)

There is no connection between Dengue infectivity and blood sugar.

Whoever told you this crock may just have been confused, as an occasional very rare effect of catching severe dengue is pancreatitis, which can disrupt insulin production and cause high blood sugar.

+1

[Asiantravel]

Is there a vaccine to prevent Dengue Fever?

If so, is it available at clinics & hospitals?

Nope, best treatment is to cover up and avoid being bitten, particularly at dawn and dusk when the mozzies are feeding, long sleeve shirts and long cotton pants are helpful as is deet spray and similar..

I understood dengue fever mosquitoes only bite during the daytime , and that they are a different type of

mosquito to the ones that carry malaria which bite during dawn and dusk. Or have I got this all

wrong?

[pjuk]

^{This is a copy of a post I posted last April in the Phuket Dengue forum, I think it is relevant to this thread also so here it is again.}

^{>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<}

^{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 (39/40c) for more than two days go to a hospital and have a blood test if you prove positive for Dengue 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 other post state 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 it thins the blood. 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.}

[MrVain]

I think I had it serveral times, fever dizzy and wal difficult. sometimes it could not have been the food. Live healthy and eat well is the best medicine

[chiang mai]

Is there a vaccine to prevent Dengue Fever?

If so, is it available at clinics & hospitals?

Nope, best treatment is to cover up and avoid being bitten, particularly at dawn and dusk when the mozzies are feeding, long sleeve shirts and long cotton pants are helpful as is deet spray and similar..

I understood dengue fever mosquitoes only bite during the daytime , and that they are a different type of

mosquito to the ones that carry malaria which bite during dawn and dusk. Or have I got this all

wrong?

No you haven't got it wrong, what you wrote is correct, although we are now being told that in the US at least, there is a danger of being bitten by the Dengue carrying mossie in the middle of the night also. Following the exchange above you can see there is a debate about when are the high risk times of day apart from dawn or dusk.

[Robby nz]

As I posted on this before.

Do what we and most others do around here, put one or two small fish in all standing water they will eat any eggs laid in the water and they get a fair few of the mossies that are in the process of laying.

Put a few in some permanent standing water and they will breed and then you can spread them around farther.

Doesn't wipe them out but sure knocks the numbers back.

You can buy a bag of 10 or 20 of the small fish in most markets for 20 B.

I also have a swatter within reach at all times.

[SeaVisionBurma]

A nonsense post has been removed

[Toscano]

I believe Bangkok is a region prone to Dengue Fever . I live in the rural north east ; my brother-in-law , a policeman and his wife had Dengue Fever .

The police housing where they lived was old and decrepid , my guess was that open drains at the back of their house harboured mosquitoes . I am very particular not to have stagnant water lying about , clean gutters . An old water well in the corner of our garden I had filled in . We are fortunate that our local authority has the whole village sprayed , fumigated at regular intervals . We see very few mosquitoes .

[belg]

with 35 degrees or more each day, you almost get a fever feeling every day of the week...

solution, same as all other problems in thailand (burning, flooding, etc...) : mai pen rai

do nothing and specially do not worry, you, TV reader can do absolutely nothing

[Keesters]

This is the umpteenth thread this year on Dengue. Yet I see/hear of no preventative actions being taken. In Pattaya, where I live, there used to be regular spraying/fumigation of the open drains against mosquitoes. But I've not seen this being carried out now for 3 or 4 years. So is it any wonder that Dengue fever is on the rise.

Don't blame the mosquito when you get Dengue fever, blame your local Public Health Department for sitting on their backsides doing nothing.

[puck2]

Our medical expert Sheryl writes - #66 - what I have learnt about this disease 3 years before, when my son caught d.f. during his holiday here in Thailand.

In a nutshell as far as I remember

• there is no preventive vaccination available for d.f.

• there is no medication against d.f.

• you can only fight against the co-existing symptoms like fever, headache, myalgia, bone aching etc..

• But caution - don't eat blood thinners like aspirin ... . This is especially very dangerous if you caught the d.f. with the hemorraghic complication

• contact a hospital a.s.a.p. if you have the hemorraghic form of d.f., the most dangreous one;

• drink a lot and add some electrolyte/s

[Tiethilo]

I would just like to say 1 more very important thing before I shut up and go away, and that is that I have been told by people far more experienced than I that 1 of the main reasons that dengue takes a hold in people is through the ingestion of too much Sugar!!!

In common with cancer cells, pathogens thrive in a sugary environment. so if you want to avoid dengue I am told that avoiding sugar or reducing your sugar intake is the absolute number 1 way to do so. Problem is of course - and this could be the reason why there has been a rise in the number of dengue cases - is just how much sugar, sweets and chocolates are now available everywhere in asia. dengue and sugar do not go together well.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

This post is completely incorrect. Dengue is a virus and its ability to infect cells is not affected by blood sugar. Your blood contains sugar ALL THE TIME, and unless you are diabetic this level is similar in most people. All the cells of your body need this sugar to survive which is why it's there. As cancer cells are in fact, cells, they of course need sugar. They use more of it because they are dividing more rapidly than normal cells and so need more fuel, but the glucose in blood is always sufficient for cancer growth , except under special circumstances (eg tumors with insufficient blood supply because the blood vessels aren't there.)

There is no connection between Dengue infectivity and blood sugar.

Whoever told you this crock may just have been confused, as an occasional very rare effect of catching severe dengue is pancreatitis, which can disrupt insulin production and cause high blood sugar.

+1

+1

[metisdead]

I'm going to bump this post again for somebody who may have missed it. Sheryl is the forum health adviser, take note again of what Sheryl said:

Having searched the internet, have found these:

No specific treatment for dengue fever exists.

There is no specific medicine to treat dengue infection.

Having also read the link above from wikipedia regarding this sodium chlorite or MMS is not a viable claim as a cure for much of anything. Further postings supporting this claim will be deleted.

As above.

MMS (which is basically bleach) has not been proven to cure anything and most definitely will not cure dengue.

Neither will any homeopathic remedies.

Posts spreading such dangerous misinformation will be deleted.

Doxycyline has no efficacy in preventing Dengue. there is currently no prevention available other than avoiding mosquito bites.

Dengue is preset everywhere in Thailand. Specific spots may have more transmission than others, these will be places with stagnant uncovered water about, which is what the vector breeds in. Fresh markets can be a common culprit for this reason. Likewise rural homes with water jars that aren't well covered.

There is a wide spectrum of severity of infection with dengue. Some cases are so mild as to be almost imperceptible, i.e. you may have had it and never even known it, or just thought you had a mild flu for a day or two. Other people get very ill, with shaking chills and high fever. You'll know if you are in that group, believe me (I've been there).

A minority of cases develop a hemorraghic complication. Most do not. Except for the hemorraghic form, there are no serious risks associated with it, it's just an unpleasant disease which at the more severe end of the spectrum can leave you feeling quite weak & depressed for weeks afterwards.

There are tens of thousands of cases of dengue in this part of the world every single year, it is an endemic disease. Every 2-3 years the incidence increases to epidemic proportions and this is one of these years. Same thing happened a few years back and will a few years hence, it is cyclical.

Posts spreading such dangerous misinformation will be deleted.

Posts containing incorrect/dangerous information have been deleted and will continue to be deleted.