elef Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 Malaria rife in border provinces Published on June 08, 2005 Malaria is ravaging three upper southern provinces even as the number of cases of the mosquito-borne disease has dropped in other parts of the country, officials said. The number of malaria cases in Chumphon, Surat Thani and Ranong remain at alarming levels, said Dr Thawat Suntharacharn, director-general of the Disease Control Department. Chumphon was the worst affected with a 140-per-cent jump in reported cases. The province reported 465 cases last month compared with 185 in the same period last year. Illegal workers from neighbouring countries have been among the worst hit by the disease. ?Fearing arrests, employers hide them from health authorities, who could treat them by inoculating them with vaccines,? Thawat said. This in turn has inflated the number of victims this year. Employers are now being encouraged to have their workers checked and treated by medical authorities. Another factor that may explain the high number of cases is increased logging to clear land for farming, said Dr Narongsak Ungkasuwapala, deputy permanent secretary of the Public Health Ministry. To tackle the outbreak, the ministry has sent a number of mobile units to affected areas including Tak province in the north. Thirty provinces have reported serious cases of malaria, said Thawat, with most of them located near the Thai-Burmese border. Anti-malaria units were trying to eradicate mosquito-breeding grounds in places where there had been outbreaks. They are also testing people for infection. At tourist sites such as Koh Chang, one unit works around the clock to provide treatment for the disease. ?People need not panic as malaria is spreading only in border areas,? said Narongsak. Arthit Khwankhom The Nation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lembeh Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 >Fearing arrests, employers hide them from health authorities, who could treat them by inoculating them with vaccines,? Thawat said. That would be pretty f*cking miraculous, because, unless I am having one of those days in which I need to go an lie down in a darkened room, there *is* no vaccine for malaria... -j- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iuytrede Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 yeah, that's the most glaring bullshit in this article, but the rest seems to be not much better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khwaimaisabai Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 Hi iuy, I thought there were drugs that could be taken that reduce vulnerability. Not the same as a vaccine to give immunity, but still useful. khwai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limbo Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 There are Khwai, but you don't want to know about the side effects of these drugs. They are really scary for some of them, like Lariam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALHOLK Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 Hi! According to the vaccination center I go to before I go abroad the side effects are grossly overrated. One doctor told me that the mental problems coupled to Lariam will most likely hit people who already have mental problems (possibly latent). On the other hand they prescribe Malerone today for trips to Thailand. This apparently is a rather new drug that has very little side effects if any. regards ALHOLK P.S. They do not prescribe malaria prophylax for trips to Bangkok/Pattaya. Only if you are going upcountry and especially if you go to a border area will Swedish doctors prescribe malaria prophylax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HonoluluJimmy Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 Ditto Alkster...I have taken the meds many times without any side effects. I travel so often I keep a supply in my travel kit at all times. I hear the same story about the stuff making you nutso..Only if it is a short trip. .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elef Posted June 9, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 "I hear the same story about the stuff making you nutso.." I believe it - now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 I admit i am not aware of Malaria issues in Asian areas however the one poster mentioned Malarone which is supposed to be used only in areas where malaria has become resistant to other meds. If it is being prescribed due to a few minor side effects this is a great injustice and will only serve to help Malaria become resistant to other drugs prematurley. CChloroquin is still the drug of choice of many MD's and should continue to be so unless it is shown that certain strains are resistant. As of this posting the only areas listed with the CDC are in Africa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALHOLK Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 Hi! It's my understanding that there are malaria strains in Thailand that are resistent. regards ALHOLK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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