Apitchaya Jareondee, 25, and several members of her family visited doctors after being bitten by the insects and suffering high fevers and severe headaches on July 26.

The family went to Lanna hospital in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, where doctors diagnosed her with dengue fever.

Tragically, the stewardess had also developed a severe infection caused by the mosquito bite which triggered internal bleeding, shock, and organ failure.

Apitchaya, who worked with Thai Lion Air, was pronounced dead last Monday. 

“We always thought that they were only mosquitoes but we were wrong”

Surin Jareondee

Her body was returned to her home town in Nan province.

Apitchaya’s cousin Surin Jareondee said the family had taken precautions to avoid mosquitoes by staying indoors more and closing windows.

She said: “It’s the rainy season right now and there are a lot of mosquitoes around the area.

“The weather has been unpleasant too, so we haven’t been staying outside much and always shut the door and windows. But the mosquitoes are really everywhere.”

Surin said village officials ordered pest controllers to spray the mosquitoes after being alerted about the air hostess’ fatal incident.

Surin added: “We always thought that they were only mosquitoes but we were wrong. They’re much more dangerous. I wish we were more aware about this.

“If we knew just how dangerous they were, maybe Apitchaya would still be alive now.”

Last month, health officials in Thailand urged people in the country to protect themselves against mosquitoes amid a deadly outbreak of dengue fever.

Cases of the powerful infection – which can be fatal – have soared with almost twice as many deaths already reported this year compared with all of 2018.

A total of 58 people have been killed by dengue fever in 2019 compared with just 33 in all of 2018, in what medics say is “one of the most severe dengue outbreaks in recent years”.

Health officials said there have been 40,402 cases – 1.6 times as many as 2018 – of the disease this year. The virus is carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito and spread through bites.

Dr Cheewanan Lertpiriyasuwat, the Vector Borne Diseases Bureau director at the country’s Department of Disease Control (DDC), said the “current dengue outbreak situation was worrisome”.

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