Dengue fever is on the rise, with a total of 13,126 cases, including 12 fatalities, being reported so far this year. This is a 2.2 fold increase over the same period last year, according to Dr. Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, director-general of the Disease Control Department.
Of this year’s cases, 3,776 were children aged from 5 to 14, followed by 3,072 in the 15 to 24 age group and 2,350 cases in the 25 to 34 age group. Most of the fatalities were people over 65 years old.
Dr. Thongchai said that the best preventive measure now is for everyone, including those who have already been bitten, to apply mosquito repellents, to protect them from being bitten by striped mosquitoes, which will bite the other people and spread the disease.
He also warned patients not to take anti-pyretic medicines, such as aspirin, without consulting a doctor first, because the medicine can increase internal bleeding.
He said the El Niño weather phenomenon will contribute to an increase in dengue fever cases, as he emphasised the importance of the elimination of mosquito breeding grounds.
