Leptospirosis threat after floods in Thai South

BANGKOK, February 2 (TNA) - The Public Health Ministry has warned of emerging leptospirosis in the inundation-receding Thai South, after 157 patients have contracted the disease, three of whom have died. Deputy Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr. Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai told journalists on February 1, after a video conference with 12 flood-hit southern Thai provinces, that two deaths from leptospirosis were reported in Krabi and one death in Trang. Dr. Suwanchai acknowledged that the waterborne-disease has posed a threat to flood victims in the Thai South while floods have been receding. According to the senior official, the situation in some flood-affected areas has seen 2-6 folds increases in the number of leptospirosis patients, compared to the same period last year. The senior official warned that local residents should take good care of their health and avoid having a wound when rehabilitating their houses. The senior official also cautioned that people who have high fever and muscular pain should see the doctor immediately, stressing if the condition progresses to a severe infection, patients can suffer from jaundice and coughing up blood, which are the signs of kidney failure and loss of lung function. (TNA)