Dengue fever epidemic declared
https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... recent_box
The Department of Disease Control on Friday announced a dengue haemorrhagic fever epidemic this year as there have been 28,785 patients, 43 of whom died.
Dr Preecha Prempree, deputy director-general of the department, said that the figures were from Jan 1 to June 11, when the number of patients doubled the five-year average.
The situation is the same in Thailand's neighbouring countries thanks to a similar climate and conditions, he said. He attributed the epidemic to failure to control mosquito larvae.
On Friday, the Public Health Ministry signed an agreement with seven state agencies to seriously control mosquito larvae. They are the Defence Ministry, Tourism and Sports Ministry, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Interior Ministry, Culture Ministry, Education Ministry and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration .
Dr Sukhum Kanchanapimai, permanent secretary for public health, said the control would focus on communities, temples, schools and hospitals. "Communities and temples are major sources of mosquito larvae," he said.
Dengue fever epidemic declared
Dengue fever epidemic declared
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
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handdrummer
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Re: Dengue fever epidemic declared
I hope they do a better job with the mozzies than they've done with the flooding in cities and towns.
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oakdale160
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Re: Dengue fever epidemic declared
Google DENGUE. it is a fascinating disease--There are 2 intensities--Dengue fever, much less than 1% progress onto Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever which can be fatal,There are also 4 subtypes and infection to 1 does not give immunity to the other three--but the body thinks that it has immunity. A couple of yrs ago
it was announced that a vaccine to 3 types had been discovered.
it was announced that a vaccine to 3 types had been discovered.
Re: Dengue fever epidemic declared
I can think of many things to be fascinated by and disease is not one of them.
You're weird!!!
You're weird!!!
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oakdale160
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Re: Dengue fever epidemic declared
Many cases from other SEAsian countries ae sent to Thai. THe reason is that you need to do a Platelet count every day and if it startrs to drop to treat venergeically as they may progress to DHF. The ability to do this test in rural Loas and Campodia is limited.
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dtaai-maai
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Re: Dengue fever epidemic declared
You don't say...oakdale160 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 18, 2019 12:51 am ... if it startrs to drop to treat venergeically as they may progress to DHF.
This is the way
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lindosfan1
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Re: Dengue fever epidemic declared
Please explain the word venergeically with the correct spelling, and what does progress to DHF, sounds like complete mumbo jumbo.
Woke up this morning breathing that's a good start to the day.
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handdrummer
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Re: Dengue fever epidemic declared
As you probably found out, ain't no such word.lindosfan1 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 18, 2019 3:36 am Please explain the word venergeically with the correct spelling, and what does progress to DHF, sounds like complete mumbo jumbo.
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oakdale160
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Re: Dengue fever epidemic declared
bad spelling ---- should have been energetically and dhf is dengue haemorrhagic fever, the more serious and sometimes fatal variation of the disease.
Re: Dengue fever epidemic declared
I want to bump this thread and reiterate the severity of this disease this year. People need to take precautions and if your neighborhood is plagued by mosquitos, to go insist that the local government office get the sprayers into your area as quickly as possible. It's a free service each Tesaban is obligated to perform when asked to do so. Everyone also needs to get rid of standing water around your houses as much as possible. That usually means checking every flower pot and similar after each rain.
Alert all to dengue threat
https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opi ... t#cxrecs_s
Since dengue fever was first recorded in Thailand in 1949, the mosquito-borne viral disease has never been eradicated. It has become even more widespread, as in the first half of this year, dengue crept back into several parts of the country, triggering higher numbers of infections and deaths compared to previous years.
The trend signals that this year's outbreak is likely to be the worst in five years. Although the Disease Control Department declared dengue an epidemic last Friday, the public still has not been made aware of the severity of the outbreak.
During the first six months of the year, 28,785 people were struck down with dengue fever, 43 of whom died. The figures, which are double the five-year average, is even higher than last year's total of 14,900 infections and 19 deaths.
But we have not even finished this year's count. After last month's arrival of the rainy season, the rate of infection is likely to accelerate and become higher than in the dry season because the rain brings more mosquitoes. Moreover, once infected, humans are able to spread the virus to uninfected mosquitoes, which multiplies it further.
The current outbreak is more alarming than in previous years because the majority of this year's infections have been caused by the most virulent strain, according to Sanook.com, quoting Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoen, director-general of the Disease Control Department.
Officials at the Public Health Ministry have already solicited the cooperation of other state agencies to help control the mosquito larvae.
However, a stronger message needs to be given to the public that this is really a health emergency.
Given its flu-like symptoms, people will be complacent if they are not issued a serious warning along with accurate information on prevention and treatment. There should also be more public awareness that dengue is more prevalent in urban settings than in rural areas.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), individuals should suspect that they are infected with dengue when a high fever is accompanied by two of the following symptoms: a severe headache, pain behind the eyes, nausea and vomiting, swollen glands, muscle and joint pains or a rash. The symptoms usually last for two to seven days.
If symptoms don't improve within a day or two, individuals should visit the hospital to avoid further health issues and even death.
Thais, expatriates and tourists in this country need to be told to remain highly vigilant, as there is no treatment for dengue fever.
Vaccinations are still not an ideal solution, as they do not work for those who have never been infected with the disease before.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn should have done more to address the current outbreak as a public health emergency, rather than leaving it to be exclusively handled by public health officials.
Responses and directives from the top could have helped enhance surveillance, prevention and treatment efforts by relevant state agencies while closing capacity and funding gaps. More importantly, a proper response would create a sense of high alert within the general public.
Dengue has always proven to be a silent killer, and this year it has become even more dangerous. Everyone should be aware of this threat.
Alert all to dengue threat
https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opi ... t#cxrecs_s
Since dengue fever was first recorded in Thailand in 1949, the mosquito-borne viral disease has never been eradicated. It has become even more widespread, as in the first half of this year, dengue crept back into several parts of the country, triggering higher numbers of infections and deaths compared to previous years.
The trend signals that this year's outbreak is likely to be the worst in five years. Although the Disease Control Department declared dengue an epidemic last Friday, the public still has not been made aware of the severity of the outbreak.
During the first six months of the year, 28,785 people were struck down with dengue fever, 43 of whom died. The figures, which are double the five-year average, is even higher than last year's total of 14,900 infections and 19 deaths.
But we have not even finished this year's count. After last month's arrival of the rainy season, the rate of infection is likely to accelerate and become higher than in the dry season because the rain brings more mosquitoes. Moreover, once infected, humans are able to spread the virus to uninfected mosquitoes, which multiplies it further.
The current outbreak is more alarming than in previous years because the majority of this year's infections have been caused by the most virulent strain, according to Sanook.com, quoting Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoen, director-general of the Disease Control Department.
Officials at the Public Health Ministry have already solicited the cooperation of other state agencies to help control the mosquito larvae.
However, a stronger message needs to be given to the public that this is really a health emergency.
Given its flu-like symptoms, people will be complacent if they are not issued a serious warning along with accurate information on prevention and treatment. There should also be more public awareness that dengue is more prevalent in urban settings than in rural areas.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), individuals should suspect that they are infected with dengue when a high fever is accompanied by two of the following symptoms: a severe headache, pain behind the eyes, nausea and vomiting, swollen glands, muscle and joint pains or a rash. The symptoms usually last for two to seven days.
If symptoms don't improve within a day or two, individuals should visit the hospital to avoid further health issues and even death.
Thais, expatriates and tourists in this country need to be told to remain highly vigilant, as there is no treatment for dengue fever.
Vaccinations are still not an ideal solution, as they do not work for those who have never been infected with the disease before.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn should have done more to address the current outbreak as a public health emergency, rather than leaving it to be exclusively handled by public health officials.
Responses and directives from the top could have helped enhance surveillance, prevention and treatment efforts by relevant state agencies while closing capacity and funding gaps. More importantly, a proper response would create a sense of high alert within the general public.
Dengue has always proven to be a silent killer, and this year it has become even more dangerous. Everyone should be aware of this threat.
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Re: Dengue fever epidemic declared
Bacterial allies make dengue fever cases dive
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-50487724#
Recruiting a bacterial ally that infects mosquitoes has led to huge reductions in cases of dengue fever, trials around the world show.
Wolbachia bacteria make it harder for the insects to spread the virus, rather than kill them off.
Researchers say the findings are a "big deal" with cases falling by more than 70% in field trials.
New ways of controlling dengue are urgently needed as cases have exploded worldwide in the past 50 years.
What is dengue?
Dengue fever is caused by a virus that is spread from person to person by blood-sucking mosquitoes.
The symptoms vary wildly with some people showing no sign of infection, others have bad flu-like symptoms, while some are killed by dengue.
The disease is commonly known as "break-bone fever" because it causes severe pain in muscles and bones.
In the worst cases, people develop "dengue haemorrhagic fever", which kills 25,000 people a year around the world.
"It doesn't kill as many as malaria, but it causes an enormous amount of sickness and it is fundamentally a big problem," said Prof Cameron Simmons, from the World Mosquito Programme.
A growing problem
The World Health Organization says cases have increased "dramatically".
Rewind the clock to 1970 and only nine countries had faced severe dengue outbreaks. But dengue fever has spread so widely there are now more than 100 countries where the disease is present all the time, known as endemic dengue.
Around half of all people on the planet live in areas where dengue is a problem and there are thought to be 390 million infections each year.
This is in stark contrast to malaria, another mosquito-borne disease, where cases are falling.
Most of the countries affected are in tropical and sub-tropical climates, with 70% of cases in Asia.
"It is a really enormous concern," Prof Steven Sinkins, from the University of Glasgow, told the BBC.
Where do bacteria come in?
Wolbachia bacteria make it harder for the dengue virus to grow inside the mosquito.
It is thought the bacteria camp out in areas inside mosquitoes that the dengue virus needs to get into and that the bacteria use up resources that the virus needs.
If the dengue virus cannot replicate and increase its numbers in the mosquito then it is much less likely to be transmitted when the insect bites again.
Many species of insects are naturally infected by the bacterium, including the tiny fruit flies dancing around your kitchen.
But the main mosquito that spreads dengue fever - Aedes aegypti - is not normally affected.
So, researchers have been micro-injecting species of Wolbachia into tiny mosquito eggs to see which bacteria can thrive in different climates.
Some are already in large field trials; a team at the University of Glasgow has found a species that can cope in the very warm conditions (high 30Cs) where they would be trialled in Malaysia.
Is this genetic modification?
No, although that approach is also being investigated by scientists.
Wolbachia counts as biological control - using one species to control another.
"It is relatively uncontroversial: it is not infectious to humans and is perfectly safe," Prof Sinkins said.
Prof Simmons said "enormous efforts" went into building community support before any trials went ahead and that one of the main complaints was a rise in the number of mosquito bites when fresh batches of insects are released.
How good were the results?
There are multiple trials going on around the world - one has published in the journal Current Biology, and scientists are discussing other data at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
The evidence shows:
A 40% reduction overall, but up to 90%, in dengue cases in trials in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
A 76% reduction in dengue cases in trials in Java, Indonesia
A 70% reduction in dengue cases in trials in Niterói, a city near Rio in Brazil
Transmission has stopped in far North Queensland, Australia
"Dengue control is extremely challenging, these results are a big deal," Prof Sinkins, who worked in Kuala Lumpur, told the BBC.
Could this approach stop dengue completely?
"What the mathematical modelling would suggest is, if you take a city and build a great moat around it and stop people moving in and out, then you'd eliminate dengue in that city," Prof Simmons told the BBC.
The issue is people move around, so there would be cases when people visited areas where the mosquitoes had not been infected.
But Prof Simmons said: "Fundamentally, we should be able to achieve elimination."
How long will it last?
Forever.
Wolbachia is a pretty nifty group of bacteria that manipulate the way insects reproduce to ensure they are passed on to the next generation.
In Aedes aegypti the bacteria stops the males reproducing with any female mosquitoes lacking Wolbachia.
However, the Wolbachia-infected females, who pass it on to all their young, can successful mate with any male.
It means that Wolbachia can establish a vice-like grip in a population of mosquitoes.
In the Kuala Lumpur trials, the proportion of mosquitoes affected by Wolbachia exceeded 90%.
Is this expensive or bad for the environment?
The answer is no and no.
Obviously, a lot of research has gone into this approach and that costs money.
However, it is a one-off solution as the Wolbachia are passed on from one generation of mosquitoes to the next.
"It is a very economically attractive approach," says Prof Sinkins.
This is the opposite of other approaches, such as insecticides or releasing sterile mosquitoes.
Both can shrink the mosquito population, but it will explode again as soon as you stop.
What about other diseases?
The approach appears to work against other related viruses including Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever.
Dr Luciano Moreira, from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil, said: "Disease surveillance by the Ministry of Health is showing there was 75% less chikungunya in Niteró where we released the mosquitoes, compared with areas where we are not working."
What do the experts say?
Dr Chandy John, president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, said: "This is exciting work, carried out in the midst of an explosion in dengue infections that health authorities are finding very difficult to control.
"The combination of advanced science and committed community engagement is impressive - and essential to its success."
Michael Chew, from the Wellcome medical research charity, said: "The unprecedented rise of dengue worldwide make control methods such as these a vital addition to the tools we currently have to tackle one of the fastest-spreading mosquito-borne viral diseases."
https://www.bbc.com/news/health-50487724#
Recruiting a bacterial ally that infects mosquitoes has led to huge reductions in cases of dengue fever, trials around the world show.
Wolbachia bacteria make it harder for the insects to spread the virus, rather than kill them off.
Researchers say the findings are a "big deal" with cases falling by more than 70% in field trials.
New ways of controlling dengue are urgently needed as cases have exploded worldwide in the past 50 years.
What is dengue?
Dengue fever is caused by a virus that is spread from person to person by blood-sucking mosquitoes.
The symptoms vary wildly with some people showing no sign of infection, others have bad flu-like symptoms, while some are killed by dengue.
The disease is commonly known as "break-bone fever" because it causes severe pain in muscles and bones.
In the worst cases, people develop "dengue haemorrhagic fever", which kills 25,000 people a year around the world.
"It doesn't kill as many as malaria, but it causes an enormous amount of sickness and it is fundamentally a big problem," said Prof Cameron Simmons, from the World Mosquito Programme.
A growing problem
The World Health Organization says cases have increased "dramatically".
Rewind the clock to 1970 and only nine countries had faced severe dengue outbreaks. But dengue fever has spread so widely there are now more than 100 countries where the disease is present all the time, known as endemic dengue.
Around half of all people on the planet live in areas where dengue is a problem and there are thought to be 390 million infections each year.
This is in stark contrast to malaria, another mosquito-borne disease, where cases are falling.
Most of the countries affected are in tropical and sub-tropical climates, with 70% of cases in Asia.
"It is a really enormous concern," Prof Steven Sinkins, from the University of Glasgow, told the BBC.
Where do bacteria come in?
Wolbachia bacteria make it harder for the dengue virus to grow inside the mosquito.
It is thought the bacteria camp out in areas inside mosquitoes that the dengue virus needs to get into and that the bacteria use up resources that the virus needs.
If the dengue virus cannot replicate and increase its numbers in the mosquito then it is much less likely to be transmitted when the insect bites again.
Many species of insects are naturally infected by the bacterium, including the tiny fruit flies dancing around your kitchen.
But the main mosquito that spreads dengue fever - Aedes aegypti - is not normally affected.
So, researchers have been micro-injecting species of Wolbachia into tiny mosquito eggs to see which bacteria can thrive in different climates.
Some are already in large field trials; a team at the University of Glasgow has found a species that can cope in the very warm conditions (high 30Cs) where they would be trialled in Malaysia.
Is this genetic modification?
No, although that approach is also being investigated by scientists.
Wolbachia counts as biological control - using one species to control another.
"It is relatively uncontroversial: it is not infectious to humans and is perfectly safe," Prof Sinkins said.
Prof Simmons said "enormous efforts" went into building community support before any trials went ahead and that one of the main complaints was a rise in the number of mosquito bites when fresh batches of insects are released.
How good were the results?
There are multiple trials going on around the world - one has published in the journal Current Biology, and scientists are discussing other data at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
The evidence shows:
A 40% reduction overall, but up to 90%, in dengue cases in trials in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
A 76% reduction in dengue cases in trials in Java, Indonesia
A 70% reduction in dengue cases in trials in Niterói, a city near Rio in Brazil
Transmission has stopped in far North Queensland, Australia
"Dengue control is extremely challenging, these results are a big deal," Prof Sinkins, who worked in Kuala Lumpur, told the BBC.
Could this approach stop dengue completely?
"What the mathematical modelling would suggest is, if you take a city and build a great moat around it and stop people moving in and out, then you'd eliminate dengue in that city," Prof Simmons told the BBC.
The issue is people move around, so there would be cases when people visited areas where the mosquitoes had not been infected.
But Prof Simmons said: "Fundamentally, we should be able to achieve elimination."
How long will it last?
Forever.
Wolbachia is a pretty nifty group of bacteria that manipulate the way insects reproduce to ensure they are passed on to the next generation.
In Aedes aegypti the bacteria stops the males reproducing with any female mosquitoes lacking Wolbachia.
However, the Wolbachia-infected females, who pass it on to all their young, can successful mate with any male.
It means that Wolbachia can establish a vice-like grip in a population of mosquitoes.
In the Kuala Lumpur trials, the proportion of mosquitoes affected by Wolbachia exceeded 90%.
Is this expensive or bad for the environment?
The answer is no and no.
Obviously, a lot of research has gone into this approach and that costs money.
However, it is a one-off solution as the Wolbachia are passed on from one generation of mosquitoes to the next.
"It is a very economically attractive approach," says Prof Sinkins.
This is the opposite of other approaches, such as insecticides or releasing sterile mosquitoes.
Both can shrink the mosquito population, but it will explode again as soon as you stop.
What about other diseases?
The approach appears to work against other related viruses including Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever.
Dr Luciano Moreira, from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil, said: "Disease surveillance by the Ministry of Health is showing there was 75% less chikungunya in Niteró where we released the mosquitoes, compared with areas where we are not working."
What do the experts say?
Dr Chandy John, president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, said: "This is exciting work, carried out in the midst of an explosion in dengue infections that health authorities are finding very difficult to control.
"The combination of advanced science and committed community engagement is impressive - and essential to its success."
Michael Chew, from the Wellcome medical research charity, said: "The unprecedented rise of dengue worldwide make control methods such as these a vital addition to the tools we currently have to tackle one of the fastest-spreading mosquito-borne viral diseases."
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Re: Dengue fever epidemic declared
Chikungunya
Another virus that is becoming more common as reported in the news and by people I know. Transmitted by the same mosquito as Dengue Fever, the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Hopefully that new bacterial program mentioned above will help with this as well.
A family friend, 46 and a regular marathon runner, is out of action concerning any running for perhaps a year. Her joints are like those of an 80 year old when you watch her try to function. Caught in Kanchanaburi at a resort near the river. Usual precautions taken but not enough it appears.
https://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/index.html
Another virus that is becoming more common as reported in the news and by people I know. Transmitted by the same mosquito as Dengue Fever, the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Hopefully that new bacterial program mentioned above will help with this as well.
A family friend, 46 and a regular marathon runner, is out of action concerning any running for perhaps a year. Her joints are like those of an 80 year old when you watch her try to function. Caught in Kanchanaburi at a resort near the river. Usual precautions taken but not enough it appears.
https://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya/index.html
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
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oakdale160
- Rock Star
- Posts: 4657
- Joined: Sat Jul 06, 2013 9:51 pm
Re: China Coronavirus
A vaccine has been developed active against 3 out of the 4 subgroups of Dengue. It has to be tested 1 To be sure it doesnt give you Dengue " 2There are no serious side-effects and 3 that it works. This is being done now.
Re: China Coronavirus
And I would wish the doctors/scientists all the luck in the world. I admire the dedication to their work that these people give. I have a cousin who has spent most of his life working on treatments for cancer. Definitely not a 9 to 5 job.oakdale160 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 05, 2020 11:29 am A vaccine has been developed active against 3 out of the 4 subgroups of Dengue. It has to be tested 1 To be sure it doesnt give you Dengue " 2There are no serious side-effects and 3 that it works. This is being done now.