Dengue fever is evolving to become more unpredictable and spread on a larger scale, heaping pressure on the healthcare system, experts have warned, noting that rapid urbanisation and climate change are further complicating challenges to disease prevention and control.
Singapore’s dengue case numbers in 2024 have crossed the 10,000 mark, surpassing the figure logged for the whole 2023, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA).
The Philippines recorded 205 deaths related to dengue fever from January 1 to June 15, as cases started to rise amid the wet season, the Department of Health (DOH) said July 1.
Three new vaccines including a dengue fever vaccine, a vaccine against shingles and a pneumococcal 23 vaccine have been licensed by the Ministry of Health (MoH).
Indonesia’s Health Ministry has issued an early warning asking local and foreign tourists to remain alert against dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF), which is on the rise in Bali.
Public health authorities in Nakhon Ratchasima province of Thailand are on alert for a potential Zika virus outbreak after 19 cases were reported in the lower Northeast region.
The Ministry of Health’s Department of Preventive Medicine on January 16 asked localities nationwide to keep a close watch on the disease situation in the face of complex developments of infectious diseases, especially respiratory ones, around the world.
Vietnam will be one of the countries joining in the trial injection of a dengue fever vaccine of Japan, said Prof. Dr Nguyen Van Kinh, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Medical Association.
The People's Committee of Hanoi on August 15 issued a document requesting all relevant units to remain vigilant and continue strictly adhering to directives of the Government and the Prime Minister in controlling dengue fever in the context of the increasing number of cases in the locality.
Laos has seen a strong rise in the number of dengue fever cases recently, mostly due to ineffective preventive measures, according to the Lao Ministry of Health.
Thailand is experiencing a concerning increase in dengue fever cases this year, with over 19,000 infections reported, marking the highest number in three years.
The Thai Ministry of Public Health has announced the number of dengue fever cases this year could reach a 3-year high, while instructing local agencies to cut down on the breeding cycle of mosquitoes, which are carriers of this disease.
Lao Ministry of Health has urged people nationwide to remain vigilant and help control the spread of dengue fever, as the number of infected cases continues to rise across the country.
Policy advocacy will be promoted, along with efforts to call for financial and human resources for the prevention and control of malaria, parasitic and insect-transmitted diseases to successfully eliminate malaria in Vietnam by 2030, heard a conference held by the Ministry of Health and PATH, a global non-profit organisation on public health, in Hanoi on March 22.
The Ministry of Health reports that the number of dengue fever cases across the nation has increased 2.3 times in the first two months of 2023 compared to the same period last year, with southern and central provinces being hit the hardest.
More than 371,000 dengue fever cases and 144 deaths were documented in Vietnam last year. The number of infections and deaths increased by more than five times compared to 2021.
Hanoi is facing a high risk of an outbreak of dengue fever with the number of cases in the city is on the rise, tripled compared to the same period last year.
