HEADING to Thailand on holiday. Make sure you pack you mosquito-repellent. The nation is predicting record deaths in 2013.
Health ministry officials predict the country will see at least 100,000 cases of dengue fever this year and more than 100 deaths – a threefold increase from last year and a record high for the Kingdom.
From the start of the year until June 4, a total of 39,029 people have been treated for dengue, of whom 44 have died. Half the patients were under the age of 15.
Dengue, also called haemorrhagic fever, is transmitted by the Aedes mosquitoes that thrive in Southeast Asia’s urban centers.
The health ministry called on the public to get rid of any objects containing standing, clean water, such as old tires or empty bottles, as these are the preferred breeding spots of the Aedes mosquito.
Tourists should make sure they use mosquito-repellent.
