A single bite by a dengue-carrying mosquito can be highly fatal.
CHIANG RAI – Thai Public Health Officials held a meeting yesterday to discuss their experiences in managing public and residential environments to prevent the spread of dengue fever among the local population.
The meeting gave an overview of efforts to control contagious diseases and dengue fever in Chiang Rai last year, and the directions proposed to control them again this year.
According to a public health expert from the Disease Control Office, the spread of dengue fever that took nine lives in 2013, sparked an awareness among local people, which led to a better understanding of preventive measures the following year.
The expert explained that a more systematic means of protection against the disease had been adopted, with frequent meetings reporting the progress of environment management. Locals actively sought out the habitats of mosquitoes and eliminated them, while officials sprayed mosquito repellent in residential areas.
The meeting yesterday prepared related officials to act against the possibility of dengue fever striking this year, by preemptively preventing the disease.
The organizers hope that all sides will offer their cooperation again this year, citing the groups they’re most concerned about being students at both elementary and high school levels. – NNT
