CDC instructs public to beware of spread of pink eye

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BANGKOK, 1 September 2014  – The Department of Communicable Disease Control has urged members of the public to avoid coming into contact with people who have pink eye in a bid to prevent the spread of the disease. 

The department made known that during the first 8 months of the year, a total of 115,255 cases of pink eye or conjunctivitis was reported. Most of the sufferers live in southern provinces including Ranong and Pattani. The number of cases also spiked most during the rainy season

Conjunctivitis causes the white of the eye to take on a pink or red color. Signs and symptoms of pink eye can vary but typically include redness or swelling of the white of the eye, discharge of pus and itching. Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis can be easily spread from person to person and can cause epidemics.

With proper care, the illness can usually be treated in one week. In a bid to prevent the spread of pink eye, infected people and those around them are instructed to avoid touching or rubbing their eyes, wash hands often with soap and warm water and avoid sharing make-up, contact lenses or eyeglasses.