Foreigners not warned about dengue, says Phuket Poll

[webfact]

Foreigners not warned about dengue, says Phuket Poll
The Phuket News


A Chalong Municipality worker fogs a house to cleanse the area around the home of mosquitoes that carry dengue. Photo: Chalong Municipality

PHUKET: -- A staggering 69 per cent of foreigners living in Phuket or visiting the island receive little to no warning about the dangers of dengue and how the disease is transmitted, according to the results of the latest online poll by The Phuket News.

The recent bout of wet weather over Phuket has left puddles of fresh water strewn all over the island, the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes that carry the potentially lethal dengue virus.

But the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) recently reported that the number of dengue cases at Phuket hospitals so far this year is “no more than normal”, as the return of the annual southwest monsoon also brings an annual spike in the incidence of dengue.

The PPHO and local authorities weeks ago launched campaigns to raise awareness of the disease as they do every year, but the campaigns are in Thai and aimed at educating Thai-speaking residents.

To this, The Phuket News asked our readers: “Do you think the government does enough to warn foreigners about dengue?”

Testament to how little warning foreigners in Phuket receive about dengue, only 2pc of respondents to the poll said “Yes, foreigners are given ample warning about dengue” – and all those respondents were Thai.

Compare that with the 10pc of respondents who said: “Dengue? What’s dengue?”

And of that 10pc of respondents to the poll, 12pc were "Foreign visitors to Phuket", better known simply as tourists.

Only 4pc of people who voted in the poll said “Yes, but there is room for improvement” in the efforts to warn foreigners about dengue, while 17pc said: “Not really, I see some effort to warn foreigners, but not enough.”

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/foreigners-not-warned-about-dengue-says-phuket-poll-53189.php

-- Phuket News 2015-07-13

[clockman]

They only want your money! You are just an A.T.M. to most Thai,s

[stevenl]

"Compare that with the 10pc of respondents who said: “Dengue? What’s dengue?”"

Maybe it is time for foreigners to educate themselves a bit and think.

Did that poll include the option 'warnings are not necessary"?

[sammygood]

should they warn what it is they are spraying ?

[Johnny S]

No surprise here - If could risk some tourists not coming = Loss of Baht then nobody will hear anything about Dengue no matter if people could get seriously sick / die cause who cares about some tourists, only their Money Counts here - All these tourists dying and nothing being done - Land of Dead (Tourists) ...

[wpcoe]

should they warn what it is they are spraying ?

I always thought they were fogging some insecticide chemicals. Then I read someplace that those leaf-blower machines are merely spreading exhaust of burning oil (petroleum kind) to lay a film on any standing water. Mosquito larvae in water will suffocate if the water surface is covered with even a thin layer of oil.

Can anyone corroborate what I read, i.e. that those noisy blowers actually propagate nothing that would kill a cockroach, but just suffocate mosquito larvae in water?

[Shaunduhpostman]

It isn't like dengue is some obscure hazard you wouldn't know about. Any guide book to Thailand you buy will mention it and what to do about it.

I well know from all the reports in the media over the years what kind of things I might encounter in Phuket if I were inclined to ever go back there again and dengue is about the least of my worries.

I know, they're just trying to appear to be helpful by having a poll.

[wabothai]

foreigners are expandable.

[simon43]

foreigners are expandable.

Agree - I have seen some total lardbuckets on Soi Bangla....

[robertthebruce]

I think everyone entering Patong should be sprayed, on exit as well....

[Ulic]

I am well aware of dengue fever, my sister has had it twice. Two of the different strains, the

doctor told her she may not survive if she catches the third strain, she was in rough shape

and has liver damage. On another note both my mother and I caught chikungunya on

her last trip to Thailand. Confirmed when tested back home in Canada. It was truly awful.

A relatively new disease that has spread from Africa and is now in the Caribbean and Asia

and southern USA. Debilitating joint pain and fatigue. Same preventative measures as dengue

is advised. About 8 weeks of hell and then a slow steady recovery. Just glad I can't catch it

again. So if you are experiencing the symptoms above, you may have chikungunya. Google

is you friend if you want to find out more. Very unpleasant but you will eventually get over it.

[Catoni]

foreigners are expandable.

Not all foreigners are expandable. During my four months there.. .I actually lost more than 22 lbs. I didn't expand at all..... I got thinner..