Thailand on alert against dengue fever

BANGKOK, January 27 (TNA) - Thai public health authorities have been on alert against dengue fever, after the number of patients of the mosquito-borne disease has kept rising. The public health office in Buriram province, for instance, expressed concerns over dengue fever outbreaks in the northeastern Thai province, as patients of the deadly disease are even found in the current drought season, which is uncommon as the disease usually spreads during the rainy season. Buriram's chief public health official Dr. Sompong Jarongjittanusondhi has, therefore, ordered all district public health offices to coordinate with community hospitals and public health volunteers to concretely prevent and eradicate the common house mosquito, the carrier of the dengue fever. In January of 2013 alone, almost 100 patients have been diagnosed with dengue fever in the province, but there have been no fatalities. (TNA)