2,000 Dengue Infections Found In Chiang Mai

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2,000 dengue infections found in Chiang Mai

CHIANG MAI, 6 June 2013 (NNT) – Over 2,000 people in Chiang Mai have, this year, caught dengue fever and in May alone, 700 people were found with the disease, prompting the Public Health Ministry to raise warning for people to protect themselves against mosquito bites.

According to Medical Doctor Wattana Karnjanakamol, the provincial Public Health Officer of Chiang Mai, this year’s dengue situation is worse than that of last year as the number of dengue virus strains in 2013 has doubled. Last year, there were only two dengue viruses.

Looking at infection records at various hospitals in Chiang Mai, 2,000 have already caught the viral disease this year, with 700 found in the month of May. Two of the total infections died.

The doctor has, therefore, urged people to be cautious about the disease and avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. As Thailand has entered the rainy season, mosquitoes can breed quickly.

Dr Wattana told all related agencies to help publicize the threats and preventive measures and to keep a watchful eye on the dengue situation.


-- NNT 2013-06-06

[soidogs]

Lets see tell the people to protect themselves from the Mosquitoes. How about the Government taking steps to eradicate the mosquito population.

[Payboy]

Lets see tell the people to protect themselves from the Mosquitoes. How about the Government taking steps to eradicate the mosquito population.

Now now, don't put ideas into their head. Next thing you know they'll order 10 trillion mosquito muzzles from China.

[robenroute]

Lets see tell the people to protect themselves from the Mosquitoes. How about the Government taking steps to eradicate the mosquito population.

Have you been outside lately? Any idea of how nature works? How on earth would you eradicate mozzies from Thailand? It would take tons of chemicals and possibly a few decades of perseverance. And after 25 years of mozzie hunting, you will probably find yourself in a country where living has become nigh impossible due to a decades-long contamination with mozzie-killing chemo. Perhaps the advice of the Thai government isn t that bad after all...

[personchester]

Lets see tell the people to protect themselves from the Mosquitoes. How about the Government taking steps to eradicate the mosquito population.

Have you been outside lately? Any idea of how nature works? How on earth would you eradicate mozzies from Thailand? It would take tons of chemicals and possibly a few decades of perseverance. And after 25 years of mozzie hunting, you will probably find yourself in a country where living has become nigh impossible due to a decades-long contamination with mozzie-killing chemo. Perhaps the advice of the Thai government isn t that bad after all...

There is not much the state can do about it, but they should advice and oblige the public to reduce their water contains outside their property and in public areas, because those small water contents that are everywhere outside are the production factories of mosquitoes.

[Hecate]

Singapore has a program that Thailand could steal:

http://www.dengue.gov.sg/

[T_Dog]

Singapore has a program that Thailand could steal:

http://www.dengue.gov.sg/

Some impressive statistics and advice there for sure! The concentrations page ( http://www.dengue.gov.sg/subject.asp?id=74 ) would be interesting to replicate in Chiang Mai. The CMU area is always a cluster and the moo baan where I lived when I had Dengue had a dozen cases. It's a social disease really that needs humans, mosquitos, and the virus to keep it going. Get rid of any one and it stops.

[masuk]

Last week, a truck drove up and down the sois here north of Maejo Uni, using a fogging machine. There was no warning, but we hurriedly closed doors and windows before too much blew inside.

The base was kerosene, but does anyone have any idea what is used as the active ingredient?

Some years ago, I worked on a campus in Papua New Guinea, and they fogged the residential ares every week. The kids thought it was heaps of fun, and would run up the street following the truck and enjoying the cooling effect of Malathion/Maldison + kerosene.

MSDS MALDISON 50 INSECTICIDE

HEALTH HAZARD INFORMATION

HEALTH EFFECTS

EYE:

Will cause severe irritation

SKIN:

Prolonged or repeated exposure may cause defatting of skin

which could lead to secondary dermatitis. A chronic hazard may

exist after repeated contact due to the solvent present. Maldison

can be absorbed through the skin, so any contamination has to be

immediately washed off.

INHALED:

Inhalation of solvent may cause nausea, headache and vomiting

but effects due to Malathion are unlikely.

SWALLOWED:

The relatively low toxicity of the material indicates that the hazard

due to swallowing is minor.

OTHER HEALTH EFFECTS:

A Cholinesterase Inhibitor

ACUTE OVER EXPOSURE:

Headache, nausea, vomiting due to solvent and salivation

diarrhoea, twitching and convulsions from active

ingredient.

CHRONIC EFFECTS:

Chronic Over Exposure:

Prolonged or repeated exposure may show adverse

effects on the liver and kidneys.

I spoke to the top guns on campus about this, and they changed over to pyrethrum, which is much safer and really knocked the mozzies down, as they'd happily build up a resistance to Maldison.

I just wonder what is we're breathing in when the fogger goes past. Any clues???

It's good to see something actually being done about mosquitoes, but...

There doesn't appear to be any public awareness campaign to remove breeding containers of water.

[masuk]

Singapore has a program that Thailand could steal:

http://www.dengue.gov.sg/

Some impressive statistics and advice there for sure! The concentrations page ( http://www.dengue.gov.sg/subject.asp?id=74 ) would be interesting to replicate in Chiang Mai. The CMU area is always a cluster and the moo baan where I lived when I had Dengue had a dozen cases. It's a social disease really that needs humans, mosquitos, and the virus to keep it going. Get rid of any one and it stops.

Get rid of flower pots with water-filled saucers, old tyres, any junk which can hold water for 3 days.

Singapore has always been years ahead of everyone else on the matter of Dengue control.

[mrbojangles]

Last week, a truck drove up and down the sois here north of Maejo Uni, using a fogging machine. There was no warning, but we hurriedly closed doors and windows before too much blew inside.

The base was kerosene, but does anyone have any idea what is used as the active ingredient?

They use fogging here in Saudi sometimes. I am told the purpose of it is that the diesel/kerosene fog settles down and creates a thin oily film on any standing water and thus stops mozzies being able to lay their eggs. I don't believe there is any other "active ingredient"

[drdoom6996]

Lets see tell the people to protect themselves from the Mosquitoes. How about the Government taking steps to eradicate the mosquito population.

Have you been outside lately? Any idea of how nature works? How on earth would you eradicate mozzies from Thailand? It would take tons of chemicals and possibly a few decades of perseverance. And after 25 years of mozzie hunting, you will probably find yourself in a country where living has become nigh impossible due to a decades-long contamination with mozzie-killing chemo. Perhaps the advice of the Thai government isn t that bad after all...

I completely agree with you. Repellent, long pants and sleeves. But then again, some folks just like to whine and moan. IMHO I am glad for the article. I won't know when I get Dengue, but I know where to get checked if I have a fever for more than 48 hours.

[Secondmouse]

Lets see tell the people to protect themselves from the Mosquitoes. How about the Government taking steps to eradicate the mosquito population.

Have you been outside lately? Any idea of how nature works? How on earth would you eradicate mozzies from Thailand? It would take tons of chemicals and possibly a few decades of perseverance. And after 25 years of mozzie hunting, you will probably find yourself in a country where living has become nigh impossible due to a decades-long contamination with mozzie-killing chemo. Perhaps the advice of the Thai government isn t that bad after all...

There is not much the state can do about it, but they should advice and oblige the public to reduce their water contains outside their property and in public areas, because those small water contents that are everywhere outside are the production factories of mosquitoes.

Yep..totally agree.....as a 'swamp deweller' for more that 20 years it becomes your own responsibility as much as possible....

mozzies don't generally travel more than 100 feet from where they hatched, during their lifetime.....so if you can establish a 200 foot minimum radius that has no standing water, ie, old tires, tarps, buckets etc, to facilitate their breeding and hatching, you will have somewhat cut down their presence....mosquito's that bite are, I believe pregnant females, they bite to get blood to nourish their eggs, they bite on the principal of 'take on-drop off ' which means if disturbed, i.e brushed away during the 'bite', they have taken an amount of your blood and deposited an EQUAL amount of their cr*p into your system (I expect they do this to maintain 'in-flight' weight and balance ).....this is facilitated by a 'double straw' type tube, a straw within a larger straw that allows a cycle of 'intake and exhaust' at the precise, same time...therefore, the last thing a pregnant mozzie wants to hear is a MALE mozzie, so, if you purchase one of those sonic gadgets that emit a 'male-mozzie sounding frequency'...they should stay away from you......

[MaxYakov]

Lets see tell the people to protect themselves from the Mosquitoes. How about the Government taking steps to eradicate the mosquito population.

Have you been outside lately? Any idea of how nature works? How on earth would you eradicate mozzies from Thailand? It would take tons of chemicals and possibly a few decades of perseverance. And after 25 years of mozzie hunting, you will probably find yourself in a country where living has become nigh impossible due to a decades-long contamination with mozzie-killing chemo. Perhaps the advice of the Thai government isn t that bad after all...

There is not much the state can do about it, but they should advice and oblige the public to reduce their water contains outside their property and in public areas, because those small water contents that are everywhere outside are the production factories of mosquitoes.

I found mosquito larvae in 1/4 inch of water in a 5-inch, plastic drip-pan underneath my sink! Also, noticed one flying around and discovered a few minutes later that it had drowned in the coffee I was drinking (assuming it was the same one). Nowadays, I run a closed-room apartment 24/7 and cover my arms and legs when outdoors and probably should augment with repellant.

Edited June 7, 2013 by MaxYakov

[lee b]

Avoid being bitten? What planet are you on? When i go out i dont plan on getting bit at all, it just happens !!!!

[dave2]

re

Dr Wattana told all related agencies to help publicize the threats and preventive measures

and they did : )

dave2

[harryfrompattaya]

I have no idea but a friend I met in Bar told me that Chiang Mai is the Dengue Infection Hub of the World

and the better to stay under the bed at night than going out

[masuk]

Dengue mosquitoes apparently only attack in the day. But malaria mozzies are night workers, so stay under the bed! They might fly north and get you.

[HaleySabai]

I just wonder what is we're breathing in when the fogger goes past. Any clues???

.....whatever it is,most likely may be banned almost everywhere else in the world.

[masuk]

Highly probably. Which is why I searched the shelves in Chiang Mai, to find a bug spray that was safe. Some of them had ingredients banned long ago in most of the Western world.

I eventually found a pyrethrum based spray - made from flowers.

[Sheryl]

Closing this now as a single Dengue Thread has been established in the health forum to replace what had become multiple threads in multiple forums. The epidemic is not only nation-wide but region-wide.

See http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/652479-dengue-outbreak/ and please post any comments/questions regarding dengue there rather than starting any new threads. Thanks.