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August 10, 2010

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Thai girls told not to wear black leggings

HEALTH authorities in Thailand are urging young women not to wear fashionable black leggings to avoid attracting unwanted attention from dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

"It's worrying how people dress nowadays, especially the youth," Deputy Health Minister Pansiri Kulanartsiri said in a statement, which warned of a dengue outbreak and reminded that mosquitoes are attracted to dark clothing.

Thailand has recorded 43 deaths and more than 45,000 cases of dengue in the first seven months of the year, an increase of about 40 percent from the 31,929 cases and 30 deaths in same period of last year. Dengue cases typically rise during the rainy season from June through September.

Of this year's fatalities, 26 were between the ages of 10 and 24, prompting the Public Health Ministry to warn about the hazards of the must-have fashion item worn by many girls and young women.

"I suggest people avoid wearing black leggings - or any dark colored clothing - so as not to attract mosquitoes," Pansiri said.

Dengue is endemic in Southeast Asia and a chronic problem during the rainy season, when stagnant water and unsanitary urban environments provide fertile breeding grounds for mosquitoes that transmit the disease.

Most of dengue's victims are children. There is no vaccine for dengue, also known as the "bone-breaker disease." It can cause high fever, rashes, blistering headaches and intense joint pain. The most serious form of dengue can cause internal bleeding, liver enlargement and circulatory shut down.



 

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