We're planning a family trip to Bangkok and Northern Thailand in August. Thanks to fellow posters, we're okay about traveling during the rainy season, but are now concerned about a massive dengue outbreak (reported yesterday in the British press). Any inside info?

Try the Asian board. Lots of folks there from Thailand.

WHO (World Health Organization) does not report any dengue hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in Thailand (check www.who.int). However, it is endemic to the area, and tsunami hit areas are particularly vulnerable due to the standing stagnant water that breeds mosquitoes.
Dengue is spread by mosquitoes that bite during the day not at night, so protect yourself during daylight hours.
Check the CDC website for more info (www.cdc.gov and follow links for traveler's heath and infectious diseases).

sorry this ended up on the wrong board. have traveled in many dengue areas, so am familiar w/ cdc advice, but i'm concerned because we did plan to go in the height of the rainy season. here is one of the many web reports:

May 13, 2005
Source: TNA
Original Article: http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=38443

BANGKOK, May 13 (TNA) - Thailand's Public Health Ministry on Friday announced a week-long mosquito eradication campaign in a bid to head off major outbreak of dengue fever over the next three months.

So far this year, the ministry said 7,215 had contracted the disease nationwide with 12 confirmed deaths. The latest victim was a young boy from Bangkok who died on Wednesday.

Health Minister Dr. Suchai Charoenratanakul told a media conference here that the eradication campaign, beginning in Bangkok on May 22, was aimed at preventing an epidemic of the mosquito-borne disease during the high-risk, rainy season months between June and August.

He said it was hoped the mosquito population would be halved during the campaign.

''Disease control squads must be sent in right away to every infected area...even if there has only been one case reported. Chemical sprays should be used and litter removed,'' the minister said.

There will also be a dengue awareness campaign conducted in schools across the country when the new semester starts next week. Children are among those at greatest risk from the disease.

(TNA)-E110

Sounds to me like they are implementing preventive measures to head off a potential outbreak (note the first sentence). Both WHO and CDC give advice for preventing (as much as is possible) getting infected. Of course, nothing is 100% foolproof. A colleague of mine is of the opinion that bacteria and viruses are actually a higher form of life than humans because they have the ability to find different vectors (eg. - mosquitoes are a vector, they don't become infected with the disease, but they do carry it & pass it on) and are able to quickly overcome our efforts to use antibiotics/vaccines against them !!