Mozzie bite warning amid dengue fears

The Disease Control Department (DDC) is advising people to protect themselves from being bitten by mosquitoes during daylight hours amid fears of a widespread dengue fever outbreak this year.

DDC director-general, Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, said dengue cases are likely to explode in 2022 following two years of relatively few cases due to social restrictions to contain Covid-19 infections. Last month, two of 193 people who caught dengue died.

Dengue fever is commonly found in tropical regions where its vector, the Aedes mosquito which is dark coloured and has typical white markings on the legs, is endemic and most active during daylight hours.

More than 14,000 people have contracted dengue fever and 11 have died since 2020. A report from the Bureau of Epidemiology said the ratio of infection was 21.2 per 100,000 population.

For this year, the DDC reported two dengue…