Thailand
Overview
Thailand is a hyperendemic dengue country in Southeast Asia, experiencing regular seasonal epidemic cycles of all four DENV serotypes. Bangkok and surrounding provinces have historically been major epicentres of dengue transmission. Thailand has contributed substantially to global dengue research through long-running clinical cohorts and the development of foundational immunological insights (original antigenic sin, ADE, CD4 CTL responses).
Key Points from Literature
DENFREE Thailand cohort: Sungnak et al. (2025) drew samples from a Thai cohort established under the DENFREE (Dengue Research Framework for Resisting Epidemics in Europe) EU-funded initiative (see Sungnak2025 - Distinct Immune Responses Asymptomatic Symptomatic Dengue). The cohort enrolled 279 patients with symptomatic dengue and their 179 household members over 5 years, across three sites:
- Vajira Hospital (Bangkok)
- Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University (Bangkok)
- Tasongyang Hospital (Tak province, northern Thailand)
Serotype distribution in study: The Sungnak2025 cohort included DENV-1, DENV-3, and DENV-4 infections; DENV-2 was notably absent, which the authors identify as a limitation given DENV-2’s association with severe secondary infection.
Asymptomatic dengue burden: Of 179 household members under systematic surveillance, 8 had detectable DENV RNA (4.5% of contacts during the study period), underscoring the challenge of capturing viremic asymptomatic individuals even in a carefully designed prospective study. Asymptomatic dengue is estimated to constitute the majority of DENV infections globally.
Institutional context: Key dengue research groups at Mahidol University (Bangkok) collaborate closely with the Wellcome Sanger Institute (UK), the University of Oxford, and Institut Pasteur (Paris), reflecting Thailand’s role as a major site for international dengue research partnerships.
Contradictions & Debates
None currently in this wiki.
Related Pages
- Asymptomatic Dengue Infection
- Antibody-Dependent Enhancement
- T Cell Responses in Dengue
- NK Cell Responses in Dengue
- Type I Interferon Response in Dengue