Cambodian girls carry their younger sisters as they roam around a public park in central Phnom Penh, September 2005. Child mortality rates from mosquito-borne dengue fever in Cambodia have risen in the past two years, with 94 children dying from the disease in 2006, a health official has said.AFP
Child mortality rates from mosquito-borne dengue fever in Cambodia have risen in the past two years, with 94 children dying from the disease in 2006, a health official has said.
The deaths were among 8,148 cases of dengue in Cambodian children under 15 between January and August this year, said Ngan Chantha, who is in charge of the health ministry's campaign against the disease.
Ngan Chantha said the disease still posed a significant public health threat in the impoverished nation, where health care is basic and treatment unaffordable for many people who live on less than one US dollar a day.
"Dengue fever is emerging again, although we have controlled the disease in the past," he said.
In the whole of 2004, the child mortality rate from dengue was 0.9 percent, he said. So far in 2006, it is about 1.1 percent.
"The situation is quite serious now," he said, adding that infection rates were higher than the same period in 2005, although the death rate was slightly lower. He did not provide any figures for 2005.
Ngan Chantha blamed parents for being careless and not preventing their children from being bitten by mosquitos carrying the flu-like illness, which causes fever, headaches, muscle pain and in its severe form, hemorrhaging.
"It is difficult to control infections because parents of the children did not take care with sanitation, even though health officials told them to do so," he said.
"We don't want their children falling sick, but they did not listen to us," he added.
Eastern Kampong Cham province, the capital Phnom Penh and southern Kandal province were listed as the worst-affected areas in the country, Ngan Chantha said.
The deaths were among 8,148 cases of dengue in Cambodian children under 15 between January and August this year, said Ngan Chantha, who is in charge of the health ministry's campaign against the disease.
Ngan Chantha said the disease still posed a significant public health threat in the impoverished nation, where health care is basic and treatment unaffordable for many people who live on less than one US dollar a day.
"Dengue fever is emerging again, although we have controlled the disease in the past," he said.
In the whole of 2004, the child mortality rate from dengue was 0.9 percent, he said. So far in 2006, it is about 1.1 percent.
"The situation is quite serious now," he said, adding that infection rates were higher than the same period in 2005, although the death rate was slightly lower. He did not provide any figures for 2005.
Ngan Chantha blamed parents for being careless and not preventing their children from being bitten by mosquitos carrying the flu-like illness, which causes fever, headaches, muscle pain and in its severe form, hemorrhaging.
"It is difficult to control infections because parents of the children did not take care with sanitation, even though health officials told them to do so," he said.
"We don't want their children falling sick, but they did not listen to us," he added.
Eastern Kampong Cham province, the capital Phnom Penh and southern Kandal province were listed as the worst-affected areas in the country, Ngan Chantha said.
1 comment:
I thought Cambodian children are the future of Cambodia and AH HUN SEN hasn't thought about these children?
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