Dengue fuels coconut-juice fever in Laos
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With medical staff advising dengue fever sufferers to drink coconut juice to restore their health, vendors of the nutritious nut are doing a roaring trade in Laos. Tee, 33, who regularly has a stall on Kamphengmeuang road in Vientiane, said he's now selli
“Some people buy two coconuts and some people buy all that I have for sale,” he said. He explained that this year was great for him because of people’s belief in the power of coconut juice to refresh the body and replace the fluids which dengue fever can deplete.
He added that coconuts had risen in price this year and were now selling for 7,000 kip (Bt28) each. Silavanh, the owner of a fruit stall in Donkoy village, Sisattanak district, also said coconuts were selling very well this year.
“I sell about 40 in a week, though it takes longer to sell other fruits,” she said. She added that coconuts are grown locally and shipped in from Thailand, but the Lao coconuts are more popular because they are cheaper. One Thai coconut costs 12,000 kip. People also prefer Lao coconuts because they contain more juice than those grown in Thailand.
According to the Centre for Laboratory and Epidemiology of the Ministry of Health, from January 1 to June 7 this year 7,920 cases of dengue fever were recorded in Laos, with 31 deaths. The World Health Organisation says the incidence of dengue has grown dramatically around the world in recent decades.
Some 2.5 billion people – 40 per cent of the world’s population – are at risk from dengue. The WHO estimates there are 50 million dengue cases every year.
