Chikungunya in Thailand

04 Feb 2019

The Thai Bureau of Epidemiology via media has reported 1 075 cases of chikungunya from 14 provinces in the the first four weeks of 2019. Case numbers continue to rise in the south of the country, with Songkla and Pattani provinces reporting high rates of infection.

Advice for Travellers

No vaccine is available against chikungunya. Avoidance of mosquito bites is the only reliable means of prevention. Methods of bite avoidance include:

• Wearing long, loose, lightly coloured clothing to cover up the skin.
• The use of insect repellant containing DEET  applied to any exposed skin.
• The use of permethrin, impregnated mosquito nets.
• The use of air conditioning if available and/or mesh screening of windows and doors.
• Eradication of mosquito breeding sites around the home (e.g. open containers, old tyres or flower pots that may collect water).

For further information see Chikungunya Fever.