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Background: Dengue is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people. It is especially prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. To address the challenges posed by dengue in countries such as Thailand, effective prevention and control to strengthen health literacy at the community level is needed. One way of achieving this goal is to work with village health volunteers (VHVs). This article documents the use of VHVs for dengue fever prevention in Mueang district, Khon Kaen province, northeast Thailand. Method: A quasi-experimental study was conducted. The experimental group comprised 45 people who received a programme that aimed to enhance health literacy through the provision of knowledge and social support by community-based volunteers accompanied by a short drama programme. A group of 45 people receiving health services without the drama programme comprised the comparison group. The duration of the activity was 12 weeks. Data were collected by means of a pre- and post-test survey and were analysed using descriptive statistics and a comparison of mean health literacy and practice scores before and after the intervention. Results: Following programme delivery, the experimental group had a mean health literacy score which was significantly higher than that of the comparison group, while the mean practice score of the experimental group was also higher than that of the comparison group. Conclusion: The results suggest that a health literacy programme which includes a short drama programme could be effective in bringing about desired changes with respect to dengue fever prevention. The programme provided in this study was effective and easy to understand. The model developed here could also be useful in other villages in epidemic areas.

Studies were conducted to establish a simulated system based on the aerobic biodegradation of renewable plastic materials (cellulose, Poly lactic acid (PLA), and bio-base). The experiment consisted of carrying out biodegradation by using a reactor. The experiment was tested at 28 days under the following conditions: the control parameter of air flow was 60 mL/min, the humidity was 60-80%, and pH ranged from 7.5-8.5. The results indicated the analytical carbon dioxide (CO2) and weight loss. It was found that the effective microbes had been able to degrade the renewable materials, except for the bio-base. The EM had been able to degrade PLA and Cellulose at 4.51±0.50%and 40.53±2.15, while the weight loss of the PLA and Cellulose had been 5.24±0.85% and 42.65±3.55%. The EM had secreted cellulase enzymes to decompose the cellulose, and the enzymes had caused catalytic reactions, which, in turn, had degraded the cellulose. Because cellulose has organic carbon, the cellulose test showed high degradation. The EM had been able to degrade the cellulose because the EM consisted of aerobic and anaerobic microbes that had contributed to the degradation organic compounds. The result of the observations indicated that cellulose had torn after 28 days. However, the PLA had only slightly changed, while the bio-base had shown no change at all. Moreover, SEM observation showed that the PLA and the cellulose had been damaged. The EM were found to be growing on surface of two materials and were also growing inside of the materials. Meanwhile, no damage was found on the bio-base at all. The EM had been able to degrade the renewable materials. Cellulose is the material with the highest degradation. It is, therefore, possible that EM have the ability to degrade biodegradable plastics.

The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index is a standard for assessing environmental heat stress, but the requirement of expensive instrument with specialized maintenance is limited its use. This study aims to develop the empirical equation to estimate the WBGT from Heat Index (HI) calculated from portable temperature and humidity recorder (THR), based on the data collected at seven sites covering all regions of Thailand. Comparative analysis shows that the HI values calculated from THR (HITHR) are consistent well with those measured from the thermal environmental monitor (HIQT36) as evidenced by a highly positive correlation between them (r=0.97; p

Variability and trend of Heat Index (HI) in Thailand during 1975-2017 and their relationships with some demographic-health variables were analyzed. Results revealed the spatially coherent and widespread significant increase in Thailand's HI, consistent with significant country-wide warming. Thailand's HI as a whole significantly increased by 0.53°C per decade, and it was in the caution level but will gradually rise to the extreme caution level in the near future. Accompanying this trend, the HI distribution and characteristic have significantly shifted towards a higher health impact level in the recent decades. In addition, year-to-year HI variability significantly correlated with the El Niño--Southern Oscillation (ENSO) index, providing additional evidence that ENSO events are an important source of Thailand's climate variability including extremely hot weather. Further analysis showed that Thailand's HI had good positive associations with some demographic-health variables. These results provide some clues that increasing HI may contribute to elevated cases of heat-sensitive illness and pose an additional health risk to Thai people especially the elder persons which have rapidly grown under the aging society era. To better understand how heat and health in Thailand are linked, however, further detection and attribution studies based on newly available long-term health data are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]