RSSThe viral mosquito-borne Chikungunya disease has spread to a Catholic school in the south of the country with an average of five students in every classroom contracting the disease.
Songkhla province has the highest number of cases of Chikungunya, with 8,520 people affected this year until May 17, according to local media reports.
Saeng Thong Witthaya School in Hat Yai, one of two Catholic schools in the province, has reported an average of five students in every classroom contracting the disease. Most of the affected people are from families working in rubber estates.
These estates are a good breeding ground for the Aedes aegypti mosquito that transmit the disease, according to school director Father Puwanas Kitsawat. “I told (students and staff) the best way to avoid Chikungunya infection is to prevent mosquito bites.”
The school has contracted municipality officials to spray insecticide around the premises to eradicate mosquitoes, Father Puwanas revealed. Students and staff members who are infected stay at home until they recover, added Raya Masmindrachainara, a teacher.
Since the start of the semester on May 18, the school has tried to prevent the disease by handing out leaflets on destroying the mosquitoes´ breeding grounds. People are asked to protect themselves by using mosquito nets and insect repellent, she said.
“We tell people to use insect repellent on exposed skin, and wear long-sleeve shirts and pants,” Raya added.
Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Hat Yai, one of four Catholic churches and chapels in Songkhla province, has also contracted municipality officials to spray insecticide every week around the church grounds to eradicate mosquitoes, according to parish secretary Hansachom Joseph.
She said she advises people to get rid of mosquito breeding sites by emptying stagnant water from flower pots, buckets and barrels, changing the water in pet dishes and replacing the water in bird baths weekly. She also noted Chikungunya is more harmful than dengue fever, spread by the same mosquito.
Meanwhile, local media reported on June 2 that the Public Health Ministry has warned pregnant women of the dangers of the disease following the discovery that two unborn babies in Trang province, which neighbors Songkhla, had been infected after their mothers were bitten by mosquitoes.
Media also reported a top official of the Department of Disease Control saying the disease transmission rate from pregnant mothers to their unborn children was 50 percent.
In Songkhla, hospitals now offer a one-stop service exclusively for Chikungunya patients.
The disease, first noticed in sub-Saharan Africa, is not generally considered fatal, but death can result when other diseases overpower an already weak immune system. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, lower-back pain, rashes and severe joint pain. Symptoms can persist for weeks or months.
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