Rising dengue fever cases found in Thai North

BANGKOK, July 2 (TNA) - Dengue fever outbreaks appear to be more severe in the Thai North, prompting local public health offices to speed up their campaigns and actions against the deadly virus. In the northernmost Chiang Rai province, bordering Laos and Myanmar, for instance, chief of provincial public health office Dr. Chamnan Hansutthivejjakul told journalists on Tuesday that his office needs to keep a close watch on the updated situation amid rising dengue fever patients, mostly aged 14-25 years old. Dr. Chamnan reported that the number of dengue fever patients in Chiang Rai in June 2013 alone stood at 1,731, three of them died, while accumulated dengue fever cases in the province since the beginning of this year have been slated at 2,885, with Mae Sai district found to be hardest hit by 852 cases, followed by Muang and Wiang Pa Pao districts respectively. In adjacent Lampang province, Governor Thawatchai Terdphaothai, in his capacity as the head of the provincial committee against dengue fever, called a meeting with relevant agencies, during which he was informed, by Lampang's provincial public health office, of accumulated dengue fever cases at 1,239 so far this year, 16 times higher than previous years. According to the governor, areas in Lampang hardest hit by dengue fever include Muang, Mae Moh, Koh Kha and Ngao districts, prompting local officials to eliminate breeding grounds of the common house mosquito, the carrier of the spreading disease. (TNA)