BANGKOK, 28th October 2013 Dr.Pradit Sintavanarong, the Minister of Public Health, has stated that the general situation of dengue fever in Thailand has continuously improved.
According to the Minister, the number of Dengue fever patients has dropped from approximately 2,000 per week to under 1,000, which is expected. 714 patients, with no deaths, were reported last week.
Since the beginning of the year, the number of people coming down with dengue has topped 136,000, among whom 126 have died. Among the high-risk groups are those between 15 to 24 years of age, followed by teenagers– between 10 to 14 years old– and adults between 25 to 34 years old; at 29%, 22%, and 13%, respectively. Over 67,000 of the patients were students. The provinces with the highest rates of the fever are Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Krabi. The 5 provinces that are still at risk include Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Nonthaburi, Rayong, Narathiwat.
The southern region remains at risk as it will be in for by heavy rains from October all the way through to December, during which the number of dengue patients is expected to increase.
The Public Health office in every province has been asked to seek cooperation from local communities in getting rid of mosquito breeding grounds every week to protect against the fever.
