The number of dengue fever cases is expected to rise next month as Thailand enters the rainy season, with 16,650 cases and 17 deaths reported since Jan 1, the Public Health Ministry warned on Monday.
According to Opas Karnkawinpong, permanent secretary of the Public Health Ministry, the number of dengue fever cases reported this year is significantly higher than the number reported over the same period last year.
He said over half of residential areas and other public spaces such as schools, temples, factories and government offices surveyed by public health officials were fertile breeding grounds for mosquito larvae.
To prepare for the rainy season, the Public Health Ministry will work with the Education Ministry and other relevant agencies to carry out larvicide, he added.
Dr Opas said misdiagnosis has been a problem in recent months, some with fatal consequences.
With medical workers on alert for Covid-19 cases, several dengue patients have been given aspirin in an attempt to control their body temperature, which is standard practice for Covid-19 patients.
However, aspirin has anticoagulant properties, which would worsen the haemorrhaging associated with dengue fever.
Dr Opas suggested those who suspect they may have dengue fever seek immediate medical advice and avoid taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen.
He emphasised that the primary symptoms of dengue fever are similar to flu, Covid-19 and leptospirosis.
Dr Opas said that the ministry would send a letter to provincial health offices to advise them on the matter.