Deaths from Dengue Fever increasing in Thailand

On Channel 3 this morning they did a story on the alarming increase in Dengue Fever cases in Thailand. The first column on this chart, marked in yellow, is the statistics for this year so far. You can see that the number of people who have fallen ill with dengue fever is already nearly 40,000.  Last year it was only 12,494. What is more worrying is the number of deaths as this has already reached 44. Last year, only 8 died from Dengue Fever.

Symptons: Once a person is bitten by a virus-carrying mosquito, symptoms only appear after an incubation period of three to 15 days (5 to 8 days in most cases). Dengue fever’s most common symptoms include:

• Sudden chills and pain around the eyes;
• High fever, up to 104° F / 40° C;
• Headaches, muscle pain and neck pain;
• Unexplained lethargy, loss of appetite;
• Nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea;
• Skin rash that usual starts around the abdomen and upper torso.

About 50% of people falling ill from dengue fever are children under 15 years of age. The public are being told that if they come down with a fever they should check with their doctor. Songkhla was the province with the highest number of dengue fever deaths (7), followed by Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surin and Loei at three each.

More information on the website of Bumrungrad Hospital