The government has once more revised its prediction for how many cases of dengue fever Thailand could face this year.
Having earlier speculated that Thailand could suffer as many as 100,000 cases of the deadly virus, the Public Health Ministry is now revising that figure upward, forecasting as many as 150,000 cases of dengue fever within the year. This figure represents a more than four-times increase over last year.
In a statement to the Nation, Public Health Minister Pradit Sinthawanarong said that the government was undertaking a variety of initiatives aimed at curtailing the disease’s spread. He urged families to stay indoors and sleep underneath mosquito nets, and lauded the use of herbal, liquid mosquito repellant.
If these measures are adhered to, Pradit speculated that many mosquitoes could be eliminated before the virus reaches its peak, sometime in May.
Within the first two months of 2013, Thailand played host to more than 9,000 cases of dengue fever, 12 of which resulted in death.
