Dengue patient total doubles

[wiking]

this year will be very bad and is already

In Thailand, according to Dr Narong, hospitals and clinics this past week saw 4,000 patients, or an average of 570 per day and double from a week earlier.

He said the main reason was the rise in the number of common house mosquitoes, leading to an increased risk of residents being bitten.

The mosquitoes are also breeding at higher rates with 100-200 eggs at a time. The easiest way to eradicate them is at the larval stage.

Therefore, the ministry is urging all households to throw away water left in some containers and to turn the containers upside-down.

The ministry has also sought cooperation from 23,000 schools to start a campaign on June 15, also Asean Dangue Day, to destroy possible breeding areas.

[wiking]

from another newspaper - http://www.nationmultimedia.com/nationa ... 07879.html

The drastic rise in haemorrhage dengue fever cases has prompted the Public Health Ministry to launch a massive nationwide campaign to cope with the situation.

There have been 44 deaths among the 39,029 patients in the past five months.

More than 23,000 schools nationwide have been instructed to eliminate mosquito-breeding sources such as water containers.

Revealing that about 50 per cent of the patients were children under-15, the Public Health Minister's permanent secretary, Dr Narong Sahamethaphat, expressed his concern over the rising number of people suffering from dengue fever and said the situation was very critical.

Only the past week, some 4,000 people had been affected, double the number in the previous two weeks.

The haemorrhage dengue fever has affected people of all age groups.

The ministry estimates that 26 provinces are affected. Songkhla province has the highest number of deaths at seven, followed by Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surin, and Loei with three deaths in each province.

To reduce fatality from dengue fever, the ministry will launch a nationwide campaign, urging the public to eliminate mosquito-breeding places in communities. "We have to beef up our measures to get rid of mosquito-breeding places within 90 days," Narong said.

Narong said strong cooperation from local authorities was needed to handle this critical situation. He also instructed medical workers at the ministry's hospitals to stand by around the clock to provide timely treatments for haemorrhage dengue fever patients.

"People shouldn't buy medicines like painkiller, inbuprofen, aspirin and steroid to relieve haemorrhage dengue fever symptoms on their own, as they could develop into a more severe condition," Narong warned, adding the infected people should undergo treatments as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the ministry's deputy permanent secretary Dr Sophon Methon, who oversees the dengue fever war room, said he had sent an official letter asking the Education Ministry to instruct 23,000 schools across the country to eliminate mosquito-breeding sources at least once a week.

[FrazeeDK]

to combat this plague of mosquitoes requires that the local village leadership get out to dump standing water, spray, fog, and spread lavacides.. While it may be a topic of our daily 0730 public address news nobody seems to be doing anything.

[parrot]

A government chart showing udon's cases jan-Mar 2013 shows children and young adults most vulnerable.

[Barney]

I have asked about this Dengue outbreak today with my girl and she said it was on the news and she is doing nothing except we sleep under nets all the time, tomorrow i will be checking breeding areas, and if there is any news from the school to the kids it has not reached home yet.
If the figures quoted are correct then the fact the govt has waited until 4000 symptom patients are seeking help every week to advise the population then it is a disgrace, especially with the number deaths. Most of those could have been prevented surely, And the hospitals etc have been administering pain killers.

You would think this is the first time Thailand has had an outbreak ????

[unclezillion]

bleach will kill mosquito larvae at a very low level: they look like little worms in water: about 1-2 cm long and generally swim upright. Mosquito's feed on plant sap so keeping these away from the house will help.
I had dengue last year. it was not so bad for me, a headache and run down for a couple of days where as my Mrs was hospitalised for 8 days: there are three types of dengue so you can get it 3 times. Now we have every window and door covered with nets and basically have a mosquito free house.
The odd one that does get in is hunted by my Mrs until it meets its demise.

[parrot]

Invest a few hundred baht in one of those black light bug killers and it'll take care of the few that might make their way into your home. Amorn's has a good brand for about 600baht.

[unclezillion]

Invest a few hundred baht in one of those black light bug killers and it'll take care of the few that might make their way into your home. Amorn's has a good brand for about 600baht.

I have a Master Trap Black hole. They are not so good. we put ours outside next to the kitchen, the mossies avoid it but it get things that don't bite lol

[KB_Texas]

So, maybe a stupid question, but is Dengue carried ONLY by a certain type of mosquito, or is it pretty much any mosquito?

We do not seem to get to many of the larger black and white ones, which seem to come only a few days a month and only a few months a year, but we do get plenty of various other mossies, which I try my best to control with sprays and traps. It is a battle that you cannot win, but you can slow em down.

KB

[parrot]

ucz "I have a Master Trap Black hole. They are not so good. we put ours outside next to the kitchen, the mossies avoid it but it get things that don't bite lol"

I can't speak for a Master Trap Black hole (other than I know they're quite expensive). But I'd suggest putting the trap/light inside the house, away from doors and windows. Assuming you have screened windows/doors, the light should get rid of the few bugs that might enter when you open a door.

[unclezillion]

So, maybe a stupid question, but is Dengue carried ONLY by a certain type of mosquito, or is it pretty much any mosquito?

We do not seem to get to many of the larger black and white ones, which seem to come only a few days a month and only a few months a year, but we do get plenty of various other mossies, which I try my best to control with sprays and traps. It is a battle that you cannot win, but you can slow em down.

KB

Transmission
Dengue virus is primarily transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, particularly A. aegypti.[2] These mosquitoes usually live between the latitudes of 35° North and 35° South below an elevation of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).[2] They typically bite during the day, particularly in the early morning and in the evening,[16][17] but they are able to bite and thus spread infection at any time of day all during the year.[18] Other Aedes species that transmit the disease include A. albopictus, A. polynesiensis and A. scutellaris.[2] Humans are the primary host of the virus,[2][12] but it also circulates in nonhuman primates.[19] An infection can be acquired via a single bite.[20] A female mosquito that takes a blood meal from a person infected with dengue fever, during the initial 2–10 day febrile period, becomes itself infected with the virus in the cells lining its gut.[21] About 8–10 days later, the virus spreads to other tissues including the mosquito's salivary glands and is subsequently released into its saliva. The virus seems to have no detrimental effect on the mosquito, which remains infected for life. Aedes aegypti prefers to lay its eggs in artificial water containers, to live in close proximity to humans, and to feed on people rather than other vertebrates.[22]

Dengue can also be transmitted via infected blood products and through organ donation.[23][24] In countries such as Singapore, where dengue is endemic, the risk is estimated to be between 1.6 and 6 per 10,000 transfusions.[25] Vertical transmission (from mother to child) during pregnancy or at birth has been reported.[26] Other person-to-person modes of transmission have also been reported, but are very unusual.[9] The genetic variation in dengue viruses is region specific, suggestive that establishment into new territories is relatively infrequent, despite dengue emerging in new regions in recent decades.[7]
from wiki

[Barney]

Having lived and worked in a number of countries which have mosquito related diseases we usually have our clothing pyrethrim treated. Can be used for treating your nets etc and clothing. Not sure if available in Thailand. Be careful if you have fish farms or outdoor fish ponds as it is very toxic to them.
Not sure if localised smoking with this product effects fish. Not all smokong products have it.

Checkout out www.mosquitozone.com and click on vetor borne diseases. Some interesting info on most vectors, meaning carriers(mosquitos, ticks, sandflies etc) and if vaccines are available, most do not.

[KB_Texas]

Transmission
Dengue virus is primarily transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, particularly A. aegypti.[2]
from wiki

I understand that the Aedes is the primary vector, but was wondering if anyone knew if there were other, less common vectors?

The Aedes Aegypti is the black and white one I spoke of in my earlier post. We do not see many (thankfully), but we do get many others, of various shapes and sizes. The others spoken of appear similar in size and color as far as I can tell via Google.

KB

Aedes

[KB_Texas]

Checkout out http://www.mosquitozone.com and click on vetor borne diseases. Some interesting info on most vectors, meaning carriers(mosquitos, ticks, sandflies etc) and if vaccines are available, most do not.

Interesting link Barney. Thanks. Spent some time reading through it, and based on what it says, it does appear that Aedes is the heavy majority vector. Since as far as I can tell, most Aedes types look similar, then we will continue with the spray/traps that seem to keep them at bay a bit.

KB

[Barney]

Light and electronic traps are ok but limited as the mossie tracks to us by our exhaled CO2 but the traps are good as another prevention.
Do not understand why thailand do not have more tennis players, my missus could hold her own with anyone if you take what she can do with the electronic zapper raquet just before bed time.

[KB_Texas]

For those of you who prefer more academic research and results, this paper did a study of different traps available in the US vs. the standard mossie light capture trap. An interesting read.

The results of these trials indicate that propane-powered commercial traps would serve as useful substitutes in lieu of CDC traps in Ae. albopictus surveillance efforts. Trap features advantageous for collecting Ae. albopictus and other mosquito species are discussed

http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/39263/PDF

KB

[rick]

Over the last year at our house the Aedes egypti mossies have been evolving; 3 years ago i used to be bitten in the morning and after 4pm. Now they bite all day long. I think this is a response to me being less careful during the middle of the day. I now find myself using citronella or Deet all the time while in Thailand. Unfortunately i live in an old Thai house in a village surrounded by water.

[unclezillion]

put a load of carp or bottom feeders in the water. wearing long trousers will help

[parrot]

gupplies do a good job on mosquito larvae.

If you venture out to an outdoor eatery, especially in the early evening hours, wear your flak jacket, 'cause the mosquitoes are vicious at that time. Shorts definitely not recommended! At times, I've had to pull my socks over my trousers to protect my legs.

Ngeesoon, and other stores, carries a variety of personal mosquito spray. I'm not a fan of deet, I prefer the citronella oil spray (same size bottle, just a different color lettering). In the new Ngeesoon, the sprays are in the back...same aisle with all the insect sprays. A 60 baht bottle usually lasts me a year.

[wiking]

War' on dengue fever
The Nation June 15, 2013 1:00 am
The Public Health Ministry has announced it will push for the establishment of a dengue fever "war room" in all provinces.
The move follows a dengue fever pandemic that has claimed over 50 lives this year alone. As of June 11, 43,609 Thais have contracted dengue fever. So far, war rooms have been set up in only 26 of Thailand's 77 provinces.

"The number of dengue-fever patients has jumped nearly 3.1 times compared with the same period last year," the Public Health Minis-try's permanent secretary

Dr Narong Sahametapat said yesterday.

He added that the number of deaths also soared dramatically, from five in 2012 to 50 in the first half of this year.

Narong said he was concerned the number of dengue-fever patients could jump two-fold over the next three months.

He said the Public Health Ministry had requested that the Interior Ministry implement the plan to set up dengue fever war rooms in all 77 provinces. The war rooms would fall under the control of provincial governors - freeing the ministry from having to oversee them directly.

Disease Control Depart-ment's director-general Dr Porntep Siriwanarangsun said he was very concerned about the spread of dengue fever to new provinces - especially Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Phayao, Lampang and Tak.

He said the ministry would now focus on minimising the mortality rate. "If any patient comes down with a high fever that does not dissipate within three days, that person should immediately see a doctor for a proper diagnosis," Pornthep said.