Dengue fever in Thailand. Let's say this straight away: don't panic!!! The likelihood of catching dengue in Thailand is so incredibly low that the resulting risk can "almost" be completely ignored! But wait! Only ALMOST! And it's exactly that marginal remaining risk, along with the most sensible precautions available, that we want to take a closer look at below, as concisely as possible!
Dengue feverDengue fever in Thailand
To keep it as short and simple as possible... it's an infection transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, or rather a virus that occurs in 4 variants (a 5th type has reportedly already been discovered). Dengue fever, also known as "breakbone fever", can be transmitted by the tiger mosquito during the day as well as at night, when it bites an already infected body and then, via a further bite, carries that blood into another person's bloodstream. Unfortunately, there's neither a reliable medicine nor a vaccine to protect against it! (A vaccine does exist, but it's only approved in very few countries!)
How it progressesDengue fever in Thailand
I'm speaking from experience here.... I myself once ended up in a hospital on Koh Samui for almost 10 days, thanks to that stupid tiger mosquito. Well... I have NEVER felt so awful in my life! I couldn't move anymore (every trip to the bathroom left me feeling like I'd just been run over by a train), I had a fever, EXTREME headaches and body aches (and I mean constantly!), severe nausea, couldn't keep anything down at all, and ended up on a drip, which meant I lost around 8kg of body weight in what was actually a pretty short amount of time, aaand so on.... In short.... It was catastrophic! And I'm actually someone who doesn't rush to the hospital over every little thing and generally tries to tough out any conceivable discomfort first, if at all possible.
But this time there was simply no way around it.... In reality, though, every infection can progress differently, depending on the virus strain. For some people it only lasts a few days and they ride it out at home; for others it can take several weeks, including a hospital stay and serious after-effects. Important note: Don't take painkillers! They thin the blood, which is already thinned a lot by the illness itself! (The real danger here is the falling platelet count and the resulting tendency to bleed!) If needed, only take paracetamol to bring the fever down! Ask your doctor or a travel clinic for more information about the detailed course of the disease.Best protectionDengue fever in Thailand
DEET, DEET, DEET, DEET, and DEET again!!! This question feels like it gets asked and answered a thousand times a week in the Facebook groups.... By FAR the most reliable protection available is called DEET! It's a chemical insect repellent that was developed by the US military in the 1940s, specifically to protect against mosquitoes in places like Southeast Asia. After various studies, DEET also found its way to consumers, where it's used, in various percentage doses, as an ingredient in a whole range of mosquito sprays. Below we list a number of mosquito sprays that all contain DEET and that we've already tested on the ground and found to be excellent. Ideally, we'd recommend a mosquito spray containing at least 50% DEET! You can get sprays like this in advance or locally. And yes, DEET is DEET, no matter where you buy it! The claim that mosquito sprays from your home country are somehow less effective is simply complete nonsense! They're only ineffective if they don't contain DEET, FULL STOP! In that case they belong straight in the nearest bin!
1. Nobite Skin Spray, insect repellent for application on the skin (100 ml)
2. Care Plus Camping Anti Insect DEET 50% Spray 60ml, TP32411
3. Care Plus 32933 Spray, clear, 200 ml
4. NOBITE Clothing Spray, insect repellent for application on fabric (200 ml)
How to apply itDengue fever in Thailand
"My mosquito spray doesn't protect me, even though it contains DEET!" Yes, you hear that a lot too.... But if you actually watch how that person applies their mosquito spray, it's no longer surprising, and you just end up shaking your head.... Don't just give yourself a quick spritz! Spray it on ALL exposed skin, plus into the palms of your hands, so you can then spread and rub it in generously over the relevant areas! Like your wife would apply lotion! Only then does it actually make sense!
As mentioned at the start, you still shouldn't stress about it too much! Yes, the risk is real! But it's roughly on par with the risk of getting sick from a tick bite back home in many Western countries! That said, the advice from certain "experts" — "I've been to Thailand so many times and never used mosquito spray" — is simply reckless! Protect yourselves!!! It only takes 1-2 minutes to reliably apply mosquito spray and reduce, to a minimum, the risk of ending up in hospital if you happen to "hit the jackpot"! Spray yourselves properly and enjoy your well-earned holiday worry-free! Thailand really is that amazing!
The best tours on Koh Samui Explore now
To keep it as short and simple as possible... it's an infection transmitted by the Aedes mosquito, or rather a virus that occurs in 4 variants (a 5th type has reportedly already been discovered). Dengue fever, also known as "breakbone fever", can be transmitted by the tiger mosquito during the day as well as at night, when it bites an already infected body and then, via a further bite, carries that blood into another person's bloodstream. Unfortunately, there's neither a reliable medicine nor a vaccine to protect against it! (A vaccine does exist, but it's only approved in very few countries!)
I'm speaking from experience here.... I myself once ended up in a hospital on Koh Samui for almost 10 days, thanks to that stupid tiger mosquito. Well... I have NEVER felt so awful in my life! I couldn't move anymore (every trip to the bathroom left me feeling like I'd just been run over by a train), I had a fever, EXTREME headaches and body aches (and I mean constantly!), severe nausea, couldn't keep anything down at all, and ended up on a drip, which meant I lost around 8kg of body weight in what was actually a pretty short amount of time, aaand so on.... In short.... It was catastrophic! And I'm actually someone who doesn't rush to the hospital over every little thing and generally tries to tough out any conceivable discomfort first, if at all possible.
But this time there was simply no way around it.... In reality, though, every infection can progress differently, depending on the virus strain. For some people it only lasts a few days and they ride it out at home; for others it can take several weeks, including a hospital stay and serious after-effects. Important note: Don't take painkillers! They thin the blood, which is already thinned a lot by the illness itself! (The real danger here is the falling platelet count and the resulting tendency to bleed!) If needed, only take paracetamol to bring the fever down! Ask your doctor or a travel clinic for more information about the detailed course of the disease.
DEET, DEET, DEET, DEET, and DEET again!!! This question feels like it gets asked and answered a thousand times a week in the Facebook groups.... By FAR the most reliable protection available is called DEET! It's a chemical insect repellent that was developed by the US military in the 1940s, specifically to protect against mosquitoes in places like Southeast Asia. After various studies, DEET also found its way to consumers, where it's used, in various percentage doses, as an ingredient in a whole range of mosquito sprays. Below we list a number of mosquito sprays that all contain DEET and that we've already tested on the ground and found to be excellent. Ideally, we'd recommend a mosquito spray containing at least 50% DEET! You can get sprays like this in advance or locally. And yes, DEET is DEET, no matter where you buy it! The claim that mosquito sprays from your home country are somehow less effective is simply complete nonsense! They're only ineffective if they don't contain DEET, FULL STOP! In that case they belong straight in the nearest bin!
1. Nobite Skin Spray, insect repellent for application on the skin (100 ml)
2. Care Plus Camping Anti Insect DEET 50% Spray 60ml, TP32411
3. Care Plus 32933 Spray, clear, 200 ml
4. NOBITE Clothing Spray, insect repellent for application on fabric (200 ml)
"My mosquito spray doesn't protect me, even though it contains DEET!" Yes, you hear that a lot too.... But if you actually watch how that person applies their mosquito spray, it's no longer surprising, and you just end up shaking your head.... Don't just give yourself a quick spritz! Spray it on ALL exposed skin, plus into the palms of your hands, so you can then spread and rub it in generously over the relevant areas! Like your wife would apply lotion! Only then does it actually make sense!
As mentioned at the start, you still shouldn't stress about it too much! Yes, the risk is real! But it's roughly on par with the risk of getting sick from a tick bite back home in many Western countries! That said, the advice from certain "experts" — "I've been to Thailand so many times and never used mosquito spray" — is simply reckless! Protect yourselves!!! It only takes 1-2 minutes to reliably apply mosquito spray and reduce, to a minimum, the risk of ending up in hospital if you happen to "hit the jackpot"! Spray yourselves properly and enjoy your well-earned holiday worry-free! Thailand really is that amazing!
