Health authorities attributed the increase partly to a shift in the dominant dengue virus strain from DENV-2 to DENV-3. Rapid urbanisation, favourable weather conditions, mosquito breeding sites and increased population mobility have also contributed to the spread of the disease.
Data from the Ministry of Health shows that Indonesia bears the highest dengue burden in Southeast Asia and ranks second globally in the number of reported cases.
Health authorities in Laos have reported a significant increase in dengue fever cases across the country, raising concerns among officials and prompting urgent preventive measures.
Vaccinations must take place safely and effectively, particularly in remote disadvantaged areas where vaccination coverage remained modest, Deputy Health Minister Do Xuan Tuyen said on September 21.
Dengue infections in Singapore have surpassed the 10,000 mark. This is the highest number of cases in the first five months since 2013, the largest outbreak year recorded in the country, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA).
The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) has declared the country’s outbreak of dengue to be a national epidemic in the wake of 146,062 cases recorded from January to July 20 this year.
Mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue are prevalent in Vietnam. The first outbreak of dengue was recorded in Vietnam in 1963. Between 1998 and 2010 more than 1 million cases were reported.
The UK Space Agency's International Partnership Programme (IPP) allocates 6 million GBP for Vietnam to build an early warning system of dengue fever outbreaks, said UK Science Minister Sam Gyimah.
Despite a recent sharp fall in the number of dengue cases, the community should not neglect preventive measures against the epidemics, warned the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health.
Vietnam aims to curb the annual ratio of infections and fatalities due to dengue below 0.09 percent by 2020 and early detect oral, breast, cervical and colorectal cancer in nearly 20 percent of people.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered local authorities to raise awareness of the dengue fever outbreak and urge citizens to destroy mosquitoes and larva.
The health sector of the southern province of Binh Phuoc is implementing campaigns to fight dengue fever and zika virus-related diseases as the number of dengue cases is high.
Thailand’s Ministry of Public Heath on September 27 revealed that relevant agencies are investigating four suspected cases of Zika-related microcephaly in three babies and a 36-week-old unborn baby.
Hanoi’s Health Department and authorities of the outlying district of Hoai Duc jointly launched a campaign against dengue and Zika virus disease on September 16.
Nearly 900 cases of dengue fever have been reported in the Central Highlands of Vietnam from the beginning of 2016, up over 20 percent compared to the same period last year.
The Pasteur Nha Trang Institute has concluded that four recent deaths in central Binh Dinh province were caused by the dengue virus, according to the local Health Department.
