BANGKOK, July 14 – Public health officials throughout Thailand have been instructed to be on alert for the possible spread of dengue fever, especially during the current rainy season, after 13 persons died since the beginning of the year, according to Dr Narong Sahametapat, permanent secretary for public health.
Ministry statistics showed that 11,881 patients have been found in the country, and that 13 of them died from between January 1 and July 8.
The dead were aged between 15 and 24, Dr Narong said.
Although the number of patients this year was about 80 per cent less than the corresponding period of 2013, Dr Narong said the ministry ordered officials at public health offices nationwide to be alert to the fever’s carrier which is the mosquito.
Hospitals, schools and homeowners are asked to destroy mosquito larvae to prevent any outbreak of the disease, he added.
