Thai Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew instructs provincial disease control committees to coordinate with health volunteers to look for possible mosquito nursing grounds and spray them with chemicals (Photo: Thai.news) Bangkok (VNA) – The number of dengue patients in Thailand sofar this year has reached 17,783, more than double the figure in last year’scorresponding period, Thai Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew has said.
The disease has claimed 25 lives in 16 provinces this year alone, he was quoted by local media as saying.
Cholnan said that he has instructed provincial diseasecontrol committees to coordinate with health volunteers to look for possiblemosquito nursing grounds and spray them with chemicals. He also orderedcommunity areas to be sprayed with mosquito-killing chemicals frequently.
Meanwhile, director-general of the Disease ControlDepartment Thongchai Keeratihuttayakorn said the ratio of dengue deaths was farhigher than those from influenza and COVID-19, reaching 0.14 per 100 cases, compared to 0.01-0.02 deaths for every100 influenza patients.
The Public Health Ministry has allocated 74.8 million THB(2.6 million USD) for distributing anti-mosquito sprays or lotions to denguepatients, he noted.
Thongchai emphasised that if people protect themselves frommosquito bites even for five days, they can save the ministry about 219 millionTHB in treatment costs./.
