Public Health on high alert for dengue outbreak

The Public Health Ministry is on high alert to prevent a dengue fever epidemic during this rainy season as the numbers of infections and deaths continue to rise.

From this month until August, all provincial health offices have been put on full alert to monitor the vector-borne disease (one carried by an organism) which usually hits the country hardest when the rains come, said Dr Prat Boonyawongworote, the permanent secretary of the ministry.

During this period, he said, each province was required to maximise its public campaigns encouraging people to cooperate with health officers in regularly destroying the sources of mosquitoes, the carrier of the disease.

Furthermore, the doctor said, in an attempt to reduce the number of cases and deaths from the disease this year, each province was required to take measures to contain a dengue epidemic within 24 hours of receiving a report of an infection.

As of June 17, there had been about 12,500 cases of dengue fever reported nationwide this year, or about 20 per 100,000 people. The total number of deaths from dengue fever in the period was 15.

-- The Nation 2006-06-25

0.0002% risk of infection, chance of death negligible.

Not really a problem for tourists, or even resident farangs.

does anyone know what Dengue fever is know as in Thai?

I reckon it would affect the Thais exactly the same

does anyone know what Dengue fever is know as in Thai?

This page http://www.thai-language.com/id/135116 shows it as 'khai saa' but I've always heard it called 'khai leuat awk' (hemorragic fever by this same page).

--Lannig

This is the one that infects with Dengue fever....the Aedes Aegypti Mosquito....notice the black and white striped legs.

I got dengue fever 37 years ago while living in Bangkok. Our house was built over a little pond and the mosquitoes came through the floorboards into the kitchen area.

I've had many illnesses over the years but I will always remember the severity of dengue fever.

For several days I felt like I was about to die. My whole body ached. Could hardly move. Spent days in bed. I even had them send for the Peace Corps doctor (I was a volunteer at the time) who came, diagnosed it as dengue fever and proscribed a pain killer (I think it was called Darvon)

That painkiller did the trick. I think I was in heaven while the drug was in effect.

They say once you get a strain of dengue fever you are immune. But there are several strains so you can still contract another variety.

0.0002% risk of infection, chance of death negligible.

Not really a problem for tourists, or even resident farangs.

I have known several ex-pats over the years who contracted Dengue. Certainly a healthy adult should survive Dengue, but every infected ex-pat case I know of required hospitalization and most certainly considered it to be a serious problem at the time. Young children, seniors, and those with other health issues should take thise disease very seriously. If an outbreak were to occur, the mosquitos do not discriminate between poor Thais in the slums and smug ex-pat sahibs walking outside their villas or condos.

My partner was in the hospital for a week with Dengue before we met ....

Brutally painful and all the IV's etc are no fun either.

does anyone know what Dengue fever is know as in Thai?

This page http://www.thai-language.com/id/135116 shows it as 'khai saa' but I've always heard it called 'khai leuat awk' (hemorragic fever by this same page).

--Lannig

Thanks Lanning, I was wondering if it was Dengue feaver when Thai's refered to Khai Luat awk