The Ministry of Public Health will launch a dengue vaccination trial in Nakhon Phanom province next month. If successful, the vaccine will be included in the universal healthcare scheme, says Minister Somsak Thepsutin.
Mr Somsak, who chaired the National Communicable Disease Committee's meeting on Monday, said the committee agreed to launch a study into dengue fever vaccinations in children, hoping it will help to decide whether the vaccine is worth investing in as part of universal healthcare benefits.
Even though the number of dengue patients in Thailand is generally falling, the mortality rate remains high.
The study on dengue vaccinations will be conducted for three years on 30,000 children aged seven to 10, Mr Somsak said.
The vaccination will be piloted in Nakhon Phanom on April 4 before expanding to Ayutthaya.
Dengue fever is one of a handful of major communicable diseases the committee is working to control. The others are influenza, monkey pox, and Hepatitis B and C.
Responding to the rise in influenza infections, with 165,333 cases and 14 fatalities reported this year, the committee also agreed to increase the national stock of influenza vaccine from 4.5 million to 6 million doses.
As most influenza outbreaks have been found in six provinces, namely Phayao, Lamphun, Chiang Rai, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Bangkok, as well as in schools, prisons and military clusters, extra doses will be allocated to these places accordingly.
