BANGKOK, 24 August 2011 – The Ministry of Public Health is seeking cooperation from the public in destroying mosquito breeding grounds after more than 40,000 people have been infected with dengue fever this year.
Deputy Director-General of the Department of Disease Control MD Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai admitted his growing worries about the dengue fever situation in Thailand due to the hot and humid climate, which was speeding up the reproduction of mosquitoes.
Based on the latest report by the Bureau of Epidemiology, over 40,000 people have contracted dengue fever since the beginning of this year while 28 of them have succumbed to the disease. The outbreak is most critical in the central region with more than 20,086 patients, followed by the Northeast with 8,823 patients, the North with 8,211 patients and the South with 3,389 patients.
People most vulnerable to dengue fever are those between the age of 5 and 24. However, the disease is most prevalent in children aged 9-14 and the infection rate is on the rise among teens aged 15-24.
Therefore, MD Suwannachai said all provincial disease control offices nationwide had been instructed to keep their eyes on the dengue fever situation in their areas and to cooperate with local residents in eliminating mosquito spawning sites, especially around houses, hospitals and farms.
