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Published on February 18, 2008

So far, four people have died from the fever this year.

Some 2,824 people have come down with symptoms of the disease in the first 40 days of this year, said Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Prat Bunyawongwiroj.

The situation will be far worse than last year, partly because of global warming.

Mosquitoes carrying the disease have adapted to these swings in climate conditions and are able to survive and reproduce at an alarming rate, he said.

This tougher breed of mosquitoes will most likely increase the rate of infection, he said.

In the first 40 days of last year, there were 1,702 patients with dengue fever admitted to hospitals. The number for the same period this year will probably exceed that, with 2,824 suspected cases recorded so far,

The number of dengue fatalities last year was 29 while 60,000 cases of infection were reported.

There are four types of dengue fever in Thailand. The 2,824 cases this year were brought on by the "Breed Two" type. The majority of dengue patients last year were infected with the "Breed One" type.

Prat said Breed Two was by far the more dangerous to humans as it was more resistant to the immune system.

He said people could theoretically be infected by each of the four dengue strains separately in their lifetime.

Prat asked the public to keep a close watch on people in their households, and take them to the doctors if they develop a high fever over a two-day period.

The Nation