Acute Poisoning Surveillance in Thailand: The Current State of Affairs and a Vision for the Future

Abstract

Acute poisoning is a major public health threat worldwide, including Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia with over 67 million inhabitants. The incidence and characteristics of poisoning in Thailand vary greatly depending on the reporting body. This systematic review aims to provide a comprehensive description of the state of poisoning in Thailand. It identifies common trends and differences in poisoning by reporting centers and regional studies. Almost half of the cases and three-fourths of the deaths involved pesticide poisonings associated with agricultural occupations. However, increasing urbanization has led to an increase in drug and household chemical poisoning. Though the majority of reported poisonings remain intentional, a trend towards unintentional poisonings in pediatric and geriatric populations should not be dismissed. Unique poisonings such as mushroom, botulism, and tetrodotoxin poisonings are also closely related to the Thai lifestyle. Following this extensive review of the Thai poisoning literature, it is apparent that further support of the poison control center in Thailand is needed to improve poisoning surveillance, research, prevention, and intervention.