The Department of Disease Control (DDC) has warned people about the threats of contracting influenza and dengue fever this year, even as the threat of getting Covid-19 lingers. The department on Wednesday released its report on communicable diseases.
Its spokeswoman, Dr Jurai Wongsawat, said the department has found significant clusters of influenza in schools, prisons and military camps since the beginning of the year.
Children aged 5-9 years old were the most infected by influenza and about 80% of the infections were from a strain of influenza A and another 20% were from influenza B. The department forecast that the number of influenza patients is likely to reach 346,110 cases this year, a slight drop from the 460,325 cases last year.
For dengue fever, more than 20,000 cases have been reported this year, two times more than that of last year, she said. About 27 people have died, 20 of whom were adults who also suffered from chronic diseases.
Dengue infections were found in every age group but was found most often among schoolchildren aged 5-14.
The DDC recommends that if people have a high fever, are found to be vomiting, suffer from stomach pains, or have a rash, they should see a doctor immediately and that they should not buy any medicine before consulting with a doctor.
For Covid-19, the DDC expects the number of infections to fall slightly from the 652,868 cases that were recorded last year to 649,524 cases this year. The DDC also expects about 852 will die from the disease, compared with the 848 who died last year.