Dengue fever – a brief outline

Dengue is a viral disease and it is transmitted through the bite of an Aedes aegypti mosquito which is a day-biting mosquito. This mosquito lives very close to people in built-up areas and thrives in stagnant water.

The disease has spread as a result of rapid urbanisation, especially where a lack of clean water and sanitation are a problem. Some experts think that climate change is also contributing to the rapid spread of dengue fever. Small pools of water are common, especially after it has rained, which have enabled the mosquito to reproduce quickly and in great numbers.

Dengue fever in Thailand

Thailand’s rainy season, running from May through September, is also the high risk period for dengue fever, a potentially serious condition most prevalent in tropical countries.

It was projected that in 2008, there was around 25,000 to 30,000 reported cases in Thailand. If we set it at 35,000 out of a population of 70 million, that would mean about 1 in 2000 people will be infected. (It’s fairly similar to HIV / AIDS statistics.)

In June, 2013, Pornthep Siriwanarangsun, director of Thailand’s Department of Disease Control said he expected 150,000 to 200,000 cases of dengue fever in Thailand this year, as the year is expected to be a particularly bad one.

From 1 January 2015 – 29 June 2015 , a total of 14591 cases were reported from 77 provinces (morbidity rate was 22.40 / 100,000 population). There was 1 death.

Thai health authorities say the cities/towns with the highest morbidity include Rayong (110.47 / 100,000 population.) Trad (103.68 / 100,000 population.) Angthong (96.98 / 100,000 population.) Samutsongkram (87.54 / 100,000 population.) and Petchburi (81.61 / 100,000 population.)

Source:

http://www.thailandguru.com/dengue-fever-mosquito-thailand.html

https://www.bumrungrad.com/healthpoint/november-2011/dengue-fever-in-thailand–important-things-to-know

http://tastythailand.com/can-you-get-dengue-feve

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