BANGKOK, 20 May 2013 (NNT) – Southern residents are being warned of Chikungunya and dengue fever viruses, which can both be transmitted through a mosquito bite, while more than 200 dengue patients have been reported in Trang province.

According to Director-General of the Department of Medical Sciences Dr. Nipon Phopattanachai, patients found to have contracted the Chikungunya virus are mostly in the southern provinces of Trang, Satun, Chumphon and Surat Thani, and the infection rate is rising sharply.

Research suggests that not only can the Chikungunya virus be passed on between humans through mosquito bites, it can also be passed down from a mother mosquito to her larvae, similar to the dengue virus. Moreover, one mosquito can be a carrier of both Chikungunya and dengue fever at once.

Read more: NNT