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Disease Control Department director-general Somchai Jakkraphan said last winter had seen 515,000 go down with flu, pneumonia, measles, rubella, chickenpox and diarrhoea, of whom 315 died, mostly from diarrhoea, pneumonia and chickenpox, the majority of them small children and elderly persons, he said.

The diseases are caused by viruses that like cold weather and are transmitted via bodily fluids, he said, advising people to keep warm, maintain a healthy lisfestyle and learn about the diseases.

In related news, the Amnat Charoen health office yesterday gave 480 inmates of the local prison free check-ups for tuberculosis and handed out jackets and blankets.