The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has issued a travel warning for Thailand after an increase in dengue fever was reported.
The country is a popular destination for holidaymakers and gap year students in particular, but the FCO is advising anyone heading there to take extra precautions.
Authorities from Rayong Province, which is located on the east cost, announced this week that the region is now officially a dengue fever disaster zone.
This includes the popular tourist islands Ko Samet, Ko Mun and Ko Kodi, all situated on the Gulf of Thailand, so travellers to these regions must ensure they have backpacker travel insurance.
Although the acute haemorrhagic disease has no vaccine, it is transported by mosquitoes and so people are also advised to cover their limbs with long clothes or wear plenty of insect repellent at all times.
The FCO also reports that the whole country has seen a rise in cases of dengue fever over the past year, with 31,226 cases and 27 deaths recorded so far in 2008, compared to 21,251 cases and 17 deaths during the whole of 2007.
