A hillside village in Thailand is battling an outbreak of dengue fever.
About 160 villagers from tambon Mae Rai were hospitalized with the mosquito-borne viral disease, including seven who were transferred to a district hospital because they were critically ill, the Bangkok Post reported.
A district official said the villagers, whom he described as mostly poor ethnic Akha people, were not initially aware how to control the outbreak.
''Though a bit late, the people are now fully aware of the danger and doing all they can to prevent the situation from worsening,'' Somchai Banchapol, a member of the tambon administration organization, told the Post.
All 500 houses in the village were sprayed with pesticide and the villagers agreed to destroy mosquito breeding grounds, he said.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International
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