Dengue outbreak Phuket: tourists and expats beware
Tourists who go to Phuket or are already staying there should take into account the dangers of dengue (dengue fever).
According to the Phuket Gazette, the number of patients contracting dengue is the highest in 20 years. “In the past two months alone, 25 people have been diagnosed with dengue in this hospital. Among them were a number of tourists,” said Sirichai Silapa-acha, director of Patong Hospital.
“In the first six months of this year, 1193 people in Phuket became infected with dengue,” said Mr Bancha, spokesman for the Thai health service. “That is 3 times as much as last year.”
Authorities are urging the population to cover or drain standing water to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs in the water.
Furthermore, persons who have complaints should have themselves examined in the hospital.
Dengue (dengue fever)
Dengue is a viral disease transmitted by mosquitoes. The disease occurs in urban areas in many tropical countries and also in Thailand. Dengue usually progresses harmlessly with a fever, rash and headache. In rare cases, the disease is serious. There is no vaccination against dengue yet. There is also no targeted treatment.
Protect yourself from mosquito bites
Mosquitoes that transmit dengue bite during the day. This means that you have to protect yourself 24 hours a day:
- Wear covering clothing (long sleeves, long pants, socks, shoes).
- Protect exposed body parts (face, hands, ankles) with insect repellent. Diethyltoluamide (DEET) products are most effective.
- Use a mosquito net, preferably impregnated.
Necessary and well-intentioned advice. But what would I have to do in Phuket or Patong Beach with long pants, long sleeves and rubbed with DEET? Renting a water scooter or motorbike is no longer an option if you already have to pay thousands of baht for a scratch. Fortunately there are better places in Thailand.
It is, by the way, disturbing that dengue problem. That mosquito is advancing further and further and apart from protecting yourself there is nothing you can do about it.
The outbreak is not only on Phuket. Thousands of cases are known throughout Thailand.
I myself had Dengue on Koh Samui a few years ago. Currently an acquaintance of mine has Dengue, here on Samui. Some people don't mind much
mosquito bites. They happen to like me very much. 🙁 Fortunately, Dengue is only spread by the striped tiger mosquito 🙂 and not all mosquitoes are infected with the virus.
There is little you can do about it. I regularly inject myself with Off (with Deet). If you do get Dengue… Just get sick. But I know from experience that it is no fun.
It might be worth mentioning that only the haemorrhagic version of dengue has a high risk level. You usually only get this with the second infection. There are 4 variants. So you can get it up to 4 times. When first infected, the symptoms resemble a severe flu. In the hemorrhagic version, the blood clotting level decreases significantly, causing you to bleed through the walls of your blood vessels. This can lead to internal bleeding and the so-called dengue shock. It is that dengue shock that regularly has a fatal outcome. This is only on the 6&7 day from the first symptoms. After 7 days you are dengue virus free, but usually still very tired for weeks. I speak from my own experience here and have read a lot about it at the time.
Dengue can occur anywhere in Thailand, but mainly where many people are together. Transmission by the mosquito is usually because the mosquito first bites someone who is infected and then another.
A nice story, but the problem exists throughout Thailand and not just in Phuket! My wife and I went on holiday to Thailand (Pattaya) in January. We both ended up in hospital due to infection by the Denque virus. My wife is very vulnerable to mosquito bites, and I hardly suffer from them myself. But this time it was a hit. My wife has been seriously ill and was in hospital for seven days. There it was said that 25000 infections had been detected in six months, of which seventeen were fatal. This number is certainly higher because some patients prefer the sickbed at home, as there is no vaccination against the virus, nor a treatment. There is a breakdown of platelets and only the body can repair that.
Admission to a hospital gives you optimal treatment but is limited to good care, observation and administration of fluids and fluids is very important. Older people in particular with lower resistance face a difficult recovery and sometimes the outcome is fatal. We speak from experience.
There is some evidence that dengue is more likely to occur from a second infection in someone who has previously experienced a dengue attack from another dengue virus. This is because after the second infection, the body initially produces antibodies for the previously acquired infection. The healing process after the second infection will therefore be more difficult. You can find a lot of information on the internet.
Prevention. Treat the skin well beforehand with an anti-mosquito agent (with DEET). The mosquitoes bite during the day so wear protective clothing in places where there are a lot of mosquitoes. All nice, but who wants to walk with long pants at 36 degrees or lie on the beach with a rain suit?
Thailand is not the only country that has to deal with this problem. I do think that the government does not inform tourists enough. Perhaps explicable because there will be tourists who then choose a different destination.
Those 25.000 have now become almost 100.000 with 95 fatal Dengue victims. This year it is much worse than previous years and indeed you have to rest a lot after the bite. I did not do it because I was busy and just snacked on some anti-biotics and testerone capsules, but after a while I could no longer walk or stand and have been struggling with this for over 5 months, with a good day in between now and then. After 3 hospitals, I also found out that there is no remedy or medicine, other than just a lot of rest. A doctor told me he had patients for over a year. The first time you can be very ill, but the 2nd time is much more dangerous and often fatal if you have little resistance. Old people and very young children are particularly at risk. However, the 3rd time doesn't seem to be such a problem.
Koh Lipeh January 2013: I myself (72 years old) suddenly got a stabbing headache and high fever (+39.50°C) at night. I took Paracetemol to lower the fever and relieve the pain..
The local pharmacist said : there is no Dengue Fever on Koh Lipeh 🙂 , but the local first aid service confirmed the symptoms and I was recommended to drink a lot of electrolytes and to rest a lot….I was counted out for ten days and then OK again..
Some time later it was the turn of my son (40 years old) and then some Thai friends.
Dengue is no laughing matter especially for people who only stay here for a few weeks.
So especially after 15.00 p.m. lubricate and cover "slip slap slop" anti-mosquito repellent and above all protect your children!!!!!
Have a nice holiday.
Want to know more about dengue see the documentary “Dengue or dengue fever …never heard of” on You Tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vafP_96Ih3U
Dear God, I was shocked by this, first the rise of the AIDS virus in the 90s in Thailand and, then bird flu, and now this, just a little while longer and you almost have to walk the streets like a beekeeper armed with a bottle of DEET , (which in itself is not a harmless substance) moreover, the mosquitoes also seem to be resistant to this.
Life doesn't get any happier in Thailand, I sometimes come home with 30/40 mosquito bites on my legs, but that's at night, so if I understood correctly, this Dengue mosquito is sleeping, or am I wrong? and does the monster set off as soon as he is hungry, regardless of whether it is day or night??? who has the answer to this?
I have seen the video of Dr. David Overbosch and Dr. Bart Knols, as well as the patient's experiences. It is becoming increasingly clear that the problem is bigger than people think. And the numbers mentioned by Colin de Jong are alarming.
Doctor Overbosch lists the symptoms of Dengue in turn. His information gives the impression that the symptoms mentioned are actually observed. I don't think that is the case. As with any condition, the patient exhibits a number of symptoms that a doctor can use to diagnose the condition. But you don't get all those symptoms, do you? If you consult the package leaflet of a medicine, it will not make you happy. Also, what form of Dengue do you have? If there are four variants, which one have you contracted?
As mentioned earlier, my wife and I were both admitted to the Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital in Pattaya due to Dengue. We were not told which variant we had contracted. My wife had a mild fever, felt weak, no appetite or energy. Pain in the muscles and bones. But there was no pounding headache. My symptoms; weak, no appetite and a tendency to sleep a lot. Muscle and bone pain. No fever and certainly no headache!
However, in both cases there was a breakdown of the platelets. In my wife's case, this breakdown was such that a worrying condition had arisen. When it was found that a reversal had taken place during the demolition, she was allowed to leave the hospital. Recovery would take months.
The breakdown of the platelets in my situation was less. After two days I was allowed to leave the hospital. During the stay in the hospital, care is taken to ensure that no bleeding occurs. Even brushing your teeth was discouraged.
Ask for us; what form of Dengue had we contracted? Do you get the variant of Dengue in a certain order? Which symptoms are reliable? It also appears to be possible that you contracted Dengue unnoticed, but that your diagnosis was simply a flu.
If you have any doubts, a diagnosis can be made quickly by means of a blood test. This test is reliable and in Thailand you can even wait for the results. All in all, still many questions and uncertainties.