Getting serious about mosquitoes

The rains are falling, the mosquitoes are flying, and dengue fever is trying to get you.

Dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever
These diseases are endemic in Southeast Asia. They are caused by dengue virus from the bite of aedes mosquito that lives in the houses and their neighbourbood. This mosquito bites during the day time. Dengue infection in local people, mostly children, often results in fever with bleeding in the skin and other organs (dengue hemorrhagic fever) which is sometime fatal; but for travellers from non-endemic areas, the infection usually minifests as fever with rash in the skin, severe headache and muscle and pains (dengue fever), which is usually non-fatal.

Dengue infection is common in the rainy season (approximately May to September in Thailand) when aedes mosquito is abundant. Travellers visiting local households or their vicinity, especially in the rainy season, should be using mosquito repellent even in the day time. Ones who are ill with symptoms suspected of dengue infection should seek medical consultation to establish the cause of the illness.

Two recent dengue infections (involving two hospital stays) prompt this warning. One was a student of a friend, and the other was the older brother of a friend. They were both in outlying regions of Chiang Mai when they got bitten and fell ill.

If you live here, may I suggest Black Hole mosquito traps to kill the pests, and repellent mats (with small electric heaters) to drive away any survivors.

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There is regular spraying in the soi where im staying . Dont know who organises that but it isnt killing them all obviously. I`ve sent 2 off to buddha in my loom last 2 days.

Henry's post is very informative and quite worrying.

Can I widen the discussion to mosquito bites generally? I am one of that select band of people which thai mosquitoes seem to love the taste of. Any companions I am ever with seem either not to get bitten at all or else there is a fairly insignificant red spot at the site of the bite - either way it is not a problem for them.

I on the other hand am constantly bittten and these bites develop into large fluid-filled blisters up to an inch in diameter with associated redness and swelling up to another inch around the site of blister. Being fluid filled and thus stretching the skin, these bites are very painful especially when walking. All manner of creams, lotions, electric "clickers", do little or nothing to relieve the discomfort. As you may imagine, it is also extremely unsightly to be walking (some would say mincing) about Pattaya with huge red circles and fluid filled blisters covering my legs (very rarely do these bites occur above the knee).

Now you may well ask what do I do to try to prevent this? Well, tropical strength DEET sprays on my body and clothes, those plug-in liquid mosquito killer things in the hotel room, mossy bands, long trousers, 100mg doxycycline every day including a week before arriving and a week after returning. I honestly feel I can do no more.

What do I do when these bites occur? As I've said I've tried all the anti-histamine creams etc so I normally cover them up with elastoplast, go to the local pharmacy, listen to the obligatory sharp intake of breath, and swallow whatever they suggest.

Once I get home, everything clears up within 1 - 2 weeks.

Now I have often been called weird and abnormal for various reasons, but I really can't accept that I am the only person visiting Thailand who has such a severe reaction. So I appeal to forum members to share whatever tips, comments, and observations they may have which might help to prevent or alleviate my suffering.

Any ideas?

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

To Hell with dengue hemorrhagic fever -- I'm not afraid of it!

Actually, because I am now immune (according to my Doctor, once you have had the hemorrhagic strain, you are immune) -- However, there are 3 other strains prevalent in Thailand -- catch them once, catch them twice, etc. etc -- no immunity - cam get them multiple times. Bitten here in Pattaya -- you don't have to travel up North or to the country.

Symptoms -- severe headache and fever to start. I dismissed it at first, but on the 3rd day, began to suspect it might be Dengue fever. I checked on the Internet for symptoms -- said it runs about 7 days and rash appears on the 4th day. Yes, the next day I had a rash (per Internets site, rash can appear anywhere, mine was around the neck). Initially, I took aspirin - no relief. I sent bf to pharmacy and he brought back ibuprofen. That got rid of the headache and fever. When the rash appeared, I went to hospital to see Doctor the next day (by then, I was having pain in the lower legs -- they don't call it bonebreak fever for nothing).

Blood test confirmed it was Dengue fever. Doctor said DO NOT TAKE ASPIRIN OR IBUPROFEN as they are blood thinners - he said if it is the hemorrhagic strain and internal bleeding starts, they may not be able to stop the bleeding. Tylenol is okay. I was admitted to hospital and treated with pain and other medicines. The blood sample had to be sent to Bangkok to determine the strain (it was hemorrhagic). Also, they wanted my address to report to the City (the City did send a crew out to spray the area for mosquitoes).

So, do not think you are safe because you are in an urban area -- be alert to the symptoms and seek medical treatment if you have them.

I'm not quite sure what your point was, but in a way you remind me of Ralph, who was lecturing me on how I should not worry about eating food sold by Thai food vendors in the street. "It's never hurt me!" he sniffed. Then, apparently totally unaware of the effect of his next words on me, he continued, "I've had hepatitis twice, dysentery, food poisoning, e. coli infestations, and amoebic dysentery, not to mention cases of common diarrhea."

A few years later, this same Ralph was admitting that he no longer bought som tam outside his own house! He had, identified, at last, the culprit which had laid him ill so many times -- the little tiny shrimp that some people love in their som tam. Ralph had now realized that the people selling the food did not properly wash their mortars-and-pestles, and those little bitty shrimp turn into poison with a few hours.

Of course, we can all decide for ourselves, but I would just as soon avoid stays in the hospital. They tend to be boring and expensive, even when you come out alive and kicking. :-0

Those tiny little shrimp are dried. They cannot spoil or turn into poison, even if you left them out for 100 years.

Perhaps the stall owner was cleaning his mortar and pestle with bathroom cleanser? Hahaha.

[Smiles]

The SOLUTION:




And fun too! Sit outside around 6:00pm in Hua Hin and you can have a ball executing hundreds of god's creatures in 10 minutes of good tennis action. Being half cut doesn't hurt, and it makes one even more blood thirsty. I enjoy the very lethal overhand serve very much, and as well have had great success with my two-handed back-hand. The little buggers die in a very loud sizzling sound as they meet their fates on the face of my racquet . . . they freeze dead on it's strings with their little arms and legs splayed out in a cross, tiny sparks emanating from their proboscis for a few seconds after impact.

Not sure if any actually carry the Dengue Fever bug, but I happliy slaughter away indiscriminately, just to be sure.

Cheers and happy swatting ....

...but some people do.

I remember a trip to buy more Black Hole devices. A somewhat frantic German woman came up to tell me that these devices were very, very bad.

"Why?"

"Because it takes the mosquitoes hours to die! It's TORTURE!" I repeat, she was quite grim and frantic. Her husband was in the neighborhood and shrugged. I pointed out that the Black Hole, unlike the well-known zappers, was pretty good in ONLY killing mosquitoes, and not all the other insects in the area. Her husband mentioned this to her, but hit a brick wall: she was obsessed by the idea of TORTURING MOSQUITOES.

What I didn't say: "Madam, the mosquito is your ENEMY. It is a parasite on human beings, which not only sucks their blood, but transmits a number of very bad diseases. For my part, I see my enemy as my enemy. You complain that I am torturing my enemy. I guarantee you that, the minute the mosquito stops trying to suck my blood and infect me -- as soon as he flies away to some other place -- the "torture" will cease."

Jesus! I've heard of PETA before, but never run into a card-carrying member of PETI (People for the Ethical Treatment of Insects)!!!

So you listen up Smiles! Are you COMPLETELY SURE that your electric tennis racquet is COMPLETELY ETHICAL???!!! :-0 :-)

The mosquitoes want to know!!!

[piston10]

Medication that works for one person often fails for another. Still, I make the recommendation.

I also from time to time develop those nasty blood-filled blisters below the knee. A few years ago I was with a well-travelled doctor friend in Thailand when I had a few real nasties. He said it was a pity we didn't have a hydrocortisone cream. Unknown to him, I did have a small tube of the stuff (prescribed by my own GP for a quite different matter). I never travel without it, because it's the only way of dealing with my little trouble when it (rarely) occurs. I said I thought you weren't supposed to use it, except for very specific purposes. His rather terse, doctor-like reply was, "You're not supposed to. I do. It works." And, for me too, it does.

Marketed in the UK as Hc45, it's available without prescription; though you may be questioned by the salesperson. It's best to say it's recommended by your doctor for an eczema problem on the elbows, because you're not supposed to use it on your face. It's a topical cream that contains a very low percentage of hydrocortisone, and in my case it clears up those blisters in 48 hours. Indeed, usually there is no sign of the blister after 2 days. I understand it's best not to apply it too frequently to the same place, because hydrocortisone tends to weaken and thin the skin - something to be avoided especially on the shins.

Hope this helps.

[ceejay]

Scottish guy

Have you ever talked to your doctor about an alternative to Doxycyclene? One of it's known side effects is to cause mild to severe skin rashes (and also to make the skin more sensitive to sun as well) for some people. If you are also suceptible to skin rashes from mosquito bites, I wonder if the two together may be doing bad things to you?

Just a thought. I'm not a doctor.