Vietnam, ASEAN Nations Join Hands in Combating Dengue Fever

More than 100 scientists and experts in dengue fever from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including Vietnam, have gathered at a meting in Hanoi to share experience in coping with the disease. Addressing the event, Vietnamese Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said that dengue is one of the public health issues drawing the most attention in developing countries, especially those in the ASEAN bloc, and requires urgent global cooperation. The disease is now reported in more than 100 countries, with about 2.5 billion people living in dengue-endemic areas. Of which about 1.8 billion come from the Asia-Pacific region, making up 70% of the regional population. The event focused on raising dengue prevention capacity and the sustainability of community-based prevention activities, in addition to an appropriate coordination among the public-private healthcare sectors and other agencies. During the meeting, Vietnam launched a national campaign to enhance environmental sanitation, eliminate mosquito larva and raise public awareness in efforts to prevent the disease from spreading. In recent years, Vietnam has recorded between 50,000-100,000 dengue cases, with nearly 100 deaths each year. The infections are mainly diagnosed in central and central highlands provinces of Vietnam with thousands of affected people, experts said, blaming the unpredicted weather conditions and low public awareness for the high incidence. (Vietnamplus.vn June 14)