The Public Health Ministry reported Tuesday that dengue fever has infected 17,587 people and killed 20 patients around the country in the past five months.
The Ministry's permanent secretary Dr Paiji Warachit said the number of dengue fever patients this year has increased by 58 per cent when compared with the same period last year. Most dengue victims were aged between 10 to 24 years.
The Ministry reported the Central region was the hardest hit with 7,945 cases, followed by 4,264 in the South, 3,753 in the Northeast, and 1,625 in the North.
The Department of Disease Control's director general Dr Manit Teeratantikanont said the dengue virus type 1 has been spreading widely this year. But people are at risk also from dengue virus type 2 and type 3 as most do not have immunity against these two virus types.
Paijit said the dengue fever outbreak would peak during the rainy season from June to August.
To tackle the outbreak, the Ministry has set up a committee teamed up with 23 people from state agencies including the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Ministry of Interior. The committee will be chaired by deputy permanent secretary Dr Siriwat Thiptaradol.
Paijit said the ministry will this year tighten up its disease reporting measures in every area across the country.
Health officials will be urged to report disease cases within 24 hours and mobile teams will be sent immediately to counter the outbreak.
Local authorities have been advised to spray insecticide at least once a week to eradicate the dengue-bearing adult Aedes Aegypti mosquito which bites humans in the daylight hours.
Patients whose body temperature exceeds 38.5 degrees Celsius for several days and have red spots on their skin are advised to take only paracetamol to reduce the fever before seeking medical advice.