Buzz off dengue: Thailand’s public health ministry launches mosquito massacre

In an attempt to combat a swiftly rising number of dengue fever cases in Thailand, the Public Health Ministry initiated an aggressive campaign to eradicate mosquitoes. The nationwide surge of infections, which is experiencing an increase of an estimated 5,000 incidences each week, prompted this decisive action, according to Thares Krassanairavirong, the Disease Control Department’s director-general.

The provinces that have been most impacted include Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nan, Phayao, Tak, Phetchaburi, Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Trat, Ubon Ratchathani, Krabi, Phuket, Songkhla, Satun, Narathiwat, and Bangkok, primarily concentrated in 30 districts.

The start of the year witnessed nearly 40,000 reported cases of dengue fever, with around 40 fatalities. According to Thares, the numbers are on an alarming upward trajectory, with an increase of roughly 5,000 cases each week. These figures are verging on the statistics of 2019, which observed approximately 70,000 individuals diagnosed with the disease, and an unfortunate 70 passing away within 12 months, reported Bangkok Post.

Looking at the previous four-week period, the average rate of infections is higher than the mean rate calculated over the equivalent duration across the last half-decade, as pointed out by Thares.

In a meeting held on July 31, health officials, along with representatives from the Provincial Administration Department, were tasked with executing a comprehensive mission to halt the proliferation of dengue from July 21 to August 18.

The strategy incorporates the use of teams from the Bureau of Epidemiology and the 38 centres responsible for handling insect-borne diseases. They have been dispatched to the areas most severely affected by dengue fever. Their objective is to decrease the number of incidences below the five-year running average through a combination of mosquito extermination and educating residents on protective measures.

Among their sweeping powers is the authority to enter private residences, temples, schools, hotels and other locations to administer substances specifically formulated to eradicate mosquitoes and their larvae. Proactive steps to prevent further spread of the disease have now become a crucial part of daily life.