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Saturday, June 26, 2010

Thailand : Dengue Fever spreading in Phuket

Via Phuket Gazette :

" PHUKET: The number of dengue fever cases in Phuket is soaring, according to the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO).

PPHO Director Narinrach Pichyakamin said figures released by the PPHO at a meeting of public health volunteers on June 17 showed 213 cases of dengue fever in Phuket from January 1 to June 12 this year.

The initial target for 2010 was to keep the figure below 170 cases for the entire year, Dr Narinrach said.

According to Ministry of Public Health statistics, Phuket has the highest incidence rate [63.4 cases per 100,000 residents] of dengue of any of the Andaman Coast provinces and currently ranks 13th among Thailand’s 76 provinces.

The incidence rate for 2009 was a much lower, at 38.5 cases per 100,000 residents. There were a total of 126 cases out of a total registered population of 327,006, the official figure used for 2009.

The PPHO currently lists the registered population of Phuket at 335,913, a figure which does not include the huge number of migrant workers from other provinces.

Given that the number of Thais living here is probably about twice the official population, the actual incidence rate is likely about half of the one reported."

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