Dengue outbreak in Thailand kills 11, sickens 14,000

BANGKOK — Eleven people have been killed and more than 14,000 sickened by a nationwide dengue fever outbreak in Thailand that has been super-charged by the onset of the rainy season.

“From January 1 to May 25 there have been 14,126 cases of dengue fever in Thailand, or 21.28 patients per 100,000 population, and 11 deaths, or 0.02 deaths per 100,000,” said Dr Suwanchai Wattanayingjaroenchai, director-general of the Department of Disease Control (DDC), on Monday (June 1).

“The rainy season, which creates puddles of water that serve as breeding grounds for mosquitos, is the main factor that is boosting the outbreak, especially in the Northeast.”

In Nakhon Ratchasima alone, more than 1,000 residents have been sickened by the fever while two have been killed by the outbreak.

“The DDC is collaborating with Nakhon Ratchasima’s Public Health Office to spray local communities with insecticide in a bid to stem the contagion, as well as urging people to use mosquito nets and rid their properties of any rainwater trapped during the wet season,” added Suwanchai.

The worst-hit province is Rayong, with 73 cases per 100,000 people, followed by Chaiyaphum (58.13), Khon Kaen (53.83), Mae Hong Son (37.87) and Nakhon Ratchasima (36.92). The worst-hit region is the Northeast with 25.67 cases per 100,000 people, followed by the Central Region (22.04), South (18.42) and North (41.14).