Thailand sees surge in influenza with more than 130,000 cases over past 2 months

Thailand is seeing a surge in influenza with over 130,000 reported cases in the past two months.

Department of Disease Control (DDC) director-general Panumas Yanwetsakul said there were 131,826 reported cases of influenza from Jan. 1 to Feb. 24, 2025, Bangkok Post reported.

About a dozen of these cases were fatal.

Most patients were children aged five to nine

The majority of the patients were children aged five to nine, followed by babies aged zero to four and children aged 10 to 14.

The highest number of influenza cases was observed in the Northern region of Thailand, with 258 cases per 100,000 people.

This is followed by the northeastern region with 176 cases per 100,000 people and the southern region with 139 cases per 100,000 people.

Phayao is reportedly seeing the highest infection rate nationwide at 636 cases per 100,000 people.

Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is seeing 332 cases per 100,000 people.

People in high-risk categories encouraged to get flu shots

The infection tendency is projected to be at least 1.6 times higher than in the same period last year and is expected to exceed the median morbidity rate over the previous five years.

In 2024, there were 668,027 recorded cases of influenza, with 51 deaths. AH1N1 subvariant was found to be the predominant strain.

Panumas encouraged people in the high-risk categories, including seniors 65 and older, children five years old and younger, people with obesity or chronic diseases, and pregnant women to get a flu shot to reduce the risk of developing critical symptoms if they get infected.

He also advised anyone with influenza symptoms to remain at home for three to seven days or until a complete recovery is made to prevent transmission.

Patients should seek medical attention if symptoms persist without improvement.

Panumas also advised the public to wash their hands regularly and wear a face mask in crowded areas.

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