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Malaria in
Thailand Mosquito
borne illnesses are a major challenge in
Thailand and anything that can be done to help
eradicate them is all to the good.
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The map below is only intended as a guide since
mosquitoes do not respect boundaries and the
risk areas shown may not be exact. Substantial
malaria risk is shaded in dark red - becoming a
lighter red where the risk is minimal. As can be
seen the whole country is registered as being
subjected to the possibility of Malaria although
the incidence in most of the country is very
low. It is reported that some of the most drug
resistant forms of Malaria are to be found
around the Burmese and Cambodian borders..
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Part of the reason for the reduction in Malaria
has been contributed to the development of the
country since the 1970's and the increased
prevalence of air-conditioning. Before this time
Thailand had one of the highest incidence of
Malaria in Asia and was one of the 2 areas that
first reported resistance to chloroquine and has
also reported some resistance to mefloquine.
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Thailand has its own research centre based up
near the Burma (Myanmar) border where Malaria
has its highest incidence in Thailand,
Established in 1986, the Shoklo Malaria Research
Unit (SMRU) is a field station attached to the
Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol
University, Bangkok, Thailand and is part of the
Wellcome-Oxford-Mahidol-University-Research
Programme - www.shoklo-unit.com.
They have targeted all forms of Malaria in the
region and have been particularly successful in
reducing infant mortality due to Malaria to
zero.
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Much of the work being carried out in Thailand
is aimed at the border areas as there is concern
of an increase of reported malarial cases due to
the higher number of immigrant workers coming to
Thailand both legally and illegally.
According to data from the public
health ministry, there were 934 HIV/AIDS cases,
119 TB cases and 10,310 malaria cases recorded
in 2005 in nine camps for immigrants in the Thai
provinces of Kanchanaburi, Tak and Ratchaburi.
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In June of 2005 Thai health officials launched
the final phases of a human trial of an
artemisinin-based malaria drug that could be
available in two years.
Last figures available for incidence of
Malaria is from 2003 - reported cases 35076,
deaths 325. General population 64233000
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Contact
details in Thailand The
REMaRAG coordinator in Thailand is Richard
Valentine, email him at richard_valentine@hotmail.com
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