Bangkok – The Department of Disease Control (DDC) has held a strategic seminar on insect-borne communicable disease prevention to promote healthy lifestyles in rural areas.
DDC Director-General Dr. Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai said during the recent seminar that Thailand has successfully implemented an insect-borne disease prevention program and completely eliminated elephantiasis from the country.
The World Health Organization officially recognized Thailand’s efforts to keep the disease at bay on September 4, after various measures were taken to help elephantiasis patients in risk areas, especially along the Thai border. A 20-year national strategy on disease prevention has also been developed and will continue until 2036.
The DDC is determined to bring malaria rates among local communities below 5% by 2021. The number of malaria infections in Thailand has declined by 20% from last year to 13,971. The department is also planning to eliminate the disease completely in 743 districts in 2018.
As for dengue fever, more measures will be taken to contain the outbreak. Approximately 50,000 people have already been infected this year; 59 of them succumbed to the disease.
