Thai Social Media Star Warns After Severe Dengue Fever ICU Battle

Content creator Noo Lek (Pattravadee Pintong) has posted a video recounting her first-ever ICU experience after contracting severe dengue fever. She explains her month-long absence from social media was due to her recent discharge from intensive care following dengue infection. In the post, she describes a terrifying ordeal: "I couldn't post or go live at all. Today I'm updating you—dengue fever is truly frightening. I disappeared for a month because of dengue and had to be hospitalized for over 10 days, including time in the ICU. It was extremely risky, a 50-50 chance of survival."

Noo Lek believes she contracted the disease from mosquito bites while attending a merit-making ceremony in Songkhla province, where she was taken to a coastal forest area with heavy mosquito activity. Four to five days after returning to Bangkok, she developed fever reaching 40 degrees Celsius that wouldn't break with medication, body aches, and chills. At the hospital, blood tests confirmed dengue fever. "The doctor said it was life-threatening, mentioning that people have died from this. After five days in the hospital with fever not improving, and seven to eight days later still showing no improvement, I began vomiting blood. The doctor admitted me to the ICU immediately. The doctor was very concerned because dengue can cause internal bleeding in the stomach or brain, which is fatal."

During her ICU stay, Noo Lek's condition deteriorated to the point where she prepared her will for her husband and child. She emotionally describes the moment of discharge: "When the doctor told me I had survived, I cried. I was terrified. My child is only seven years old." She emphasizes there is no specific medication for dengue beyond paracetamol and urges anyone with sustained fever to seek medical care immediately. She also notes that seven people in her neighborhood have contracted dengue, some before her diagnosis. She warns against taking counterfeit medicine, as improper treatment can cause fatal brain bleeding.

Noo Lek concludes her warning by describing her experience as the scariest and most painful of her life: "I came close to death twice before, but this time it was the most frightening and agonizing. Many people might have had dengue but felt it wasn't serious, but for me this time it was severe. In the ICU, my blood count and liver values dropped every day. Vomiting blood—I've never been closer to death in my entire life. Please share my story with family and friends so they can be careful and this doesn't happen to anyone else." Friends and fans have responded with overwhelming support and well-wishes for her recovery.