Ever since I took a closer look at hearing loss in Thailand, I’ve been thinking about what other major health issues Thailand faces. I decided to do some cursory research. (I visited the WHO’s summary Web site on Thailand and looked at the documents linked there.)
The numbers are from 2011 but are in line with the fact that Thailand is a solidly middle-income country.
HIV/AIDS
The fertility rate is at 1.6, which is lower than both the regional and global average and probably correlates with the 80% prevalence of contraceptives, as opposed to 59% for the region. (As an aside, this may be directly linked to Khun Mechai Viravaidya’s campaign to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS by aiming to make condoms as prevalent as cabbages in Thailand.
One number that is alarming is the prevalence of HIV: 710 per 100,000 as opposed to 189 regionally and 499 globally. However, I do know that the number of new infections in Thailand has reversed course because of big public health campaigns that focus on it.
Life Expectancy and Mortality
The life expectancy for both sexes is 74 and under-5 mortality rate is 12 per 1000 live births, both significantly higher and lower, respectively, than both the regional and global averages. Most under-5 deaths are attributable to congenital anomalies or prematurity. The DTP3 immunization among 1-year olds has been hovering near 100% for the nine years that data is available.
One interesting thing that jumped out at me from the numbers was that males are twice as likely to die between the ages of 15 and 60 than females: 207 versus 102 per 1000 population, but that is somewhat in line with regional and global numbers.
Major Diseases
Both tuberculosis and malaria post low numbers, 161 and 204 per 100,000. Most Peace Corps volunteers in tropical areas are required to take anti-malarials for the duration of their service, but it is currently not a requirement for Thailand. Considering that the regional and global averages for malaria prevalence are 1773 and 4082, I can agree with the assessment that malaria is not much of a risk in Thailand.
Obesity
Obesity is considered the big epidemic in the United States and it is on the rise in Thailand. In Thailand, 4.9% of males and 11.8% of females aged 20+ are considered obese, while regional averages come in at 1.7% and 4.7% respectively. I recall reading an article that stated that Thailand was the second most obese ASEAN nation, just slightly behind Malaysia. This could be attributed to a number of things, one of which could be the ubiquity of 7-Eleven stores that make access to sugary drinks and food with poor nutritional content cheap and easy. The stories that I have read about this also indicate that the number of diagnoses of diabetes has been on the rise for the last couple of years.
Alcohol and Tobacco Use
The WHO report on alcohol use seems to contradict the lived experience of many PCVs in rural areas and seems to give the impression that it is not much of an issue here, but I know a number of PCVs who would beg to differ on that. However, that may be because it is a problem of addiction and excess in some individuals rather than a society wide problem. Regardless, I think that many would say that the acceptability of teachers drinking on school grounds during the work day constitutes a red flag for a societal problem.
Thailand scores pretty well on the WHO’s checklist regarding tobacco sales and regulation, but the number of smokers, particularly youth smokers is pretty high. The numbers, although, do confirm the societal taboo it is for women to smoke, with females posting much lower number than males in all demographics.
Good News
Some bright spots: increased per capita spending on health care since 2002, when Thaksin introduced the 30 Baht Healthcare Scheme; near 100% numbers for births attended by a skilled health personnel and measles vaccinations; and an increase in the percentage of people using improved water and sanitation over the last 20 years.
I hope that this gives you a small window into some of the public health problems that Thailand is facing.