Dengue fever cases over 50,000 in 2018

Thailand health officials say the country has topped the 50,000 mark with dengue fever cases so far in 2018.

According to the Ministry of Health’s Bureau of Epidemiology, a total of 50,079 cases have been reported from the 77 provinces up to August 27. 65 of those cases died from complications related to the disease.

The areas where you are most likely to contract dengue include Phuket, Nakorn Pathom, Phichit, Maehongsorn and Krabi.

Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes in mostly tropical zones around the world. Dengue used to be called “break-bone fever” because it often causes severe joint and muscle pain that patient’s describe feels like bones are breaking.

People contract the dengue virus from the bite of an infectious Aedes mosquito – you can’t get dengue from another human.

The Ministry of Health reports that there are three types of dengue fever in order of less severe to most: the typical uncomplicated dengue fever, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHS) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS).

The World Health Organization estimates there may be 50–100 million dengue infections worldwide every year. However, new research from the University of Oxford and the Wellcome Trust suggests that the number is more likely to be 390 million dengue infections per year worldwide.

Read the Top 10 ways to avoid contracting dengue HERE.