Thailand issues national warning over dengue fever
Case numbers are particularly high over in Argentina and the Dominican Republic too
In Thailand, a national warning was issued as more than 14,000 people have contracted dengue fever across the country’s 77 provinces, and 11 have died so far this year.
Disease Control Department Director-General Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai of the Thailand Ministry of Public Health said dengue fever cases have been on the rise due to the increase in water-logged areas brought about by the rainy season, which lead to outbreaks of the disease. Teams have since been deployed to spray repellent to kill mosquitoes and people have been asked to co-operate by getting rid of breeding grounds for larvae in their communities.
Over in Argentina, a record number of dengue fever cases have been reported in 2020, with more than 70,000 total cases, 41,754 confirmed cases and 24 deaths. The average notifications for the last two weeks of April and the first of May was almost nine times the average of the same three weeks of the 2018/2019 season, health authorities in the country said.
The Dominican Republic has also repeated high numbers of dengue fever, with 3,093 cases in the first 17 weeks of 2020 – 1,246 more than the same period last year. However, no deaths from the fever have been reported this year compared to last year, when five deaths were reported for the same period.
The Dominican Republic has also reported an increase in the number of malaria cases this year compared to last (537 cases so far this year, 166 last year). However, it has not yet reported any malaria deaths this year.
In light of these figures, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 1 Travel Alert to ensure international travellers are aware of the ongoing dengue risk in South America, as well as many parts of Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.