This paper aims to investigate the dengue fever discourse and discursive practices in a Thai village that produces lucky bamboo in terms of the source of poor sanitary, vector breeding, site of transmission, and responses of those in the village. In particular, villagers who produce lucky bamboo have been blamed for the risk for dengue emergence in the community, despite having no cases of dengue fever. The study included 14 months of participant observation, ethnographic interviews with 19 lucky bamboo farmers, in-depth interviews with 69 villagers, semi-structured interviews with 10 local government officials, and a discourse analysis on international guidelines, research articles, policy texts, official reports, and project documents. The critical discourse analysis framework inspired the inquiry and analytical procedure. The key findings of this study were as follows: (1) the dengue fever discourse was produced through expert communication events consisting of an entomological approach and by the epidemiological triangle model, which has formed the basic conceptual framework that has been used by both international health agencies and public health interventions in many countries; (2) entomological surveillance, a dengue risk map and red flag labels were used as legitimate strategies for influencing people and the community; and (3) the response of the community included questioning the blame, and acceptance of the dominant discourse or sublimation. This study demonstrates that expert knowledge and practice were factors in naming and blaming the people even in periods without infection.
Keywords: blame, critical discourse analysis, dengue fever, ethnography, lucky bamboo villageBhumiratana, A., Intarapuk, A., Chujun, S., Kaewwaen, W., Sorosjinda-Nunthawarasilp, P., & Koyadun, S. (2014). Thailand momentum on policy and practice in local legislation on dengue vector control. Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Infectious Diseases, 2014, 217-–237.
Bowman, L. R., Runge-Ranzinger, S., & McCall, P. J. (2014). Assessing the relationship between vector indices and dengue transmission: A systematic review of the evidence. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 8(5), e2848.
Chan, K. L., Ho, B. C., & Chan, Y. C. (1971). Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) in Singapore City: 2. Larval habitats. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 44(5), 629-–633.
Dunmire, P. L. (2007). ‘Emerging threats’ and ‘coming dangers’: Claiming the future for preventive war. In: A. Hodges, A., & C. Nilep, C. (Eds.),. Discourse, war and Tterrorism (pp. 19-–44). Philadelphia, PA : John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Foucault, M. (1978). History of sexuality: An introduction (R. Hurley, Trans.). New York, NY: Pantheon Books.
Gratz, N. G. (1993). Lessons of Aedes aegypti control in Thailand. Medical and Veterinary Entomology, 7(1), 1-–10.
Gubler, D. J. (2005). The emergence of epidemic dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever in the Americas: A case of failed public health policy. Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública, 17(4), 221-–224.
Gubler, D. J. (2011). Dengue, urbanization and globalization: The unholy trinity of the 21st century. Tropical Medicine and Health, 39(4 SUPPLEMENT), S3-–S11.
Jain, S., & Sharma, S. K. (2017). Challenges & options in dengue prevention & control: A perspective from the 2015 outbreak. The Indian Journal of Medical Research, 145(6), 718-–721.
Kittayapong, P., Chansang, U., Chansang, C., & Bhumiratana, A. (2006). Community participation and appropriate technologies for dengue vector control at transmission foci in Thailand. Journal of American Mosquitoe Control Association, 22(3), 538-–546.
Lacan, J. (1992). The ethics of psychoanalysis 1959-1960: The seminar of Jacques Lacan: (Book VII (pp. 71-85). In: J. A. Miller, J. A. (Ed.); D. Porter, D,. (Trans.). London : Routledge.
Lupton, D. (2012). M-health and health promotion: The digital cyborg and surveillance society. Social Theory & Health, 10(3), 229-244.
Mairuhu, A. T. A., Wagenaar, J., Brandjes, D. P. M., & van Gorp, E. C. M. (2004). Dengue: aAn arthropod-borne disease of global importance. European Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, 23(6), 425-–433.
Messina, J. P., Brady, O. J., Scott, T. W., Zou, C., Pigott, D. M., Duda, K. A., Hay, S. I. (2014). Global spread of dengue virus types: Mapping the 70 year history. Trends in Microbiology, 22(3), 138-–146.
Noisukserm, W. (2016). The application of geographic information systems for dengue haemorrhagic fever surveillance in the Bangkok metropolis. (Unpublished Master`s tThesis)., National Institute of Development Administration, Bangkok, Thailand). Retrieved from http://www.bangkok.go.th/upload/user/00000112/News/report/native/study/blood.pdf.
Ooi, E.-E., Goh, K.-T., & Gubler, D. J. (2006). Dengue prevention and 35 years of vector control in Singapore. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 12(6), 887-–893.
Pérez, D., Lefèvre, P., Castro, M., Toledo, M. E., Zamora, G., Bonet, M., & Van der Stuyft, P. (2013). Diffusion of community empowerment strategies for Aedes aegypti control in Cuba: A muddling through experience. Social Science & Medicine, 84, 44-–52.
Pessanha, J. E. (2012). Risk assessment and risk maps using a simple dengue fever model. Dengue Bulletin, 36, 73-–86.
Reyes, A. (2011). Strategies of legitimization in political discourse: From words to actions. Discourse & Society, 22(6), 781-–807.
Rojo, L. M., & Vvan Dijk, T. A. (1997). “There was a problem, and it was solved!”: Legitimating the expulsion of ‘illegal` migrants in Spanish parliamentary discourse. Discourse & Society, 8(4), 523-–566.
Van Dijk, T. A. (2015). Critical discourse analysis. In D. Tannen, H. E. Hamilton, and & D. Schiffrin (Eds.). The handbook of discourse analysis (pp. 466-–485). Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
World Health OrganizationWHO. (1986). Dengue haemorrhagic fever: Diagnosis, treatment and control. Geneva: World Health OrganizationAuthor.
World Health OrganizationWHO. (1990). Dengue. Weekly Epidemiological Record, 65(9), 1-–11.
World Health OrganizationWHO. (1997a). Dengue haemorrhagic fever: Diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control. Geneva: World Health OrganizationAuthor.
World Health OrganizationWHO. (1997b). Dengue hemorrhagic fever: Diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control. Geneva: World Health OrganizationAuthor.
World Health Organization. (2005). WHO outbreak communication guidelines. Geneva: World Health OrganizationAuthor.
WHO. (2015). Investing to overcome the global impact of neglected tropical diseases: Third WHO report on neglected tropical diseases. Geneva: World Health Organization.
World Health OrganizationWHO. (2009). Dengue: Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control. Geneva: World Health OrganizationAuthor.
World Health OrganizationWHO. (2011). Comprehensive guideline for prevention and control of dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever. (Revised and expanded edition.). New Delhi:WHO Regional Office for South-East Asia.
World Health OrganizationWHO, & UNICEF. (2012). Handbook for clinical management of dengue. Geneva: WHO and UNICEFAuthors.
Wilder-Smith, A., & Gubler, D. J. (2008). Geographic expansion of dengue: The impact of international travel. Medical Clinics, 92(6), 1377-–1390.