Dengue fever down 36 per cent in Thailand after floods

Feb 3, 2012, 8:23 GMT

Bangkok - The number of dengue fever cases fell by more than a third last month in Thailand after last year's floods interrupted the breeding cycle of the mosquito that carries it, health officials said Friday.

In January, 1,056 cases of dengue haemorrhagic fever and one death were reported at public hospitals, down 36.2 per cent compared with the same period of 2011, the Communicable Disease Control Department said.

Dengue, which is usually pandemic in Bangkok, is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which prefers to lay its eggs in clean, standing water commonly found in urban settings.

In October and November, the central plains and parts of Bangkok were hit by the worst floods in five decades, but the resulting inundations were fetid and unsuitable for the Aeges aegypti to breed.

'The floods actually interrupted the Aeges aegypti's life cycle and has resulted in a reduction in dengue,' said Sanphet Mahamard, a dengue expert at the department.

There has been a surge in the population of other mosquito breeds as a result of the floods, 'but these are just annoying mosquitos,' Sanphet said.