Cambodia faces rise in dengue fever occurrence

April 24, 2012
By Ted Purlain
Vaccine News

Cambodia has seen a rise in the number of reported cases of dengue fever in the first three months of this year compared to the first three months of last year.

The Cambodian Ministry of Health recently said that there are now 1,000 more cases reported than at this time last year, according to PhnomPenhPost.com.

Chor Meng Chuor, the director of the National Centre for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control, recently said that 1,393 people are known to have been infected and eight have died in 2012. He made the comments while attending a dengue fever awareness parade involving 600 students in Phnom Penh.

Cambodia gov't appeals the public to fight against dengue fever

PHNOM PENH, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian government alerted Tuesday to take more precaution on dengue fever as rainy season starts in the country.

Mam Bunheng, minister of health appealed Tuesday to parents and guardians across the country, especially in rural areas to take more precaution on the eruption of dengue fever as rainy starts.

The appeal was made at a campaign against dengue fever held at Baktouk High School in Phnom Penh on Tuesday.

"I would like to appeal to all people, especially, the parents and guardians to take more precaution by cleaning up your own houses, properly throwing or burning the wastes and avoiding any existence of disposal water where can be the shelter of water worm and mosquito," he appealed.

He said there were 11,699 cases of dengue fever in 2009, of which 38 people have died of the disease.

However, he said, the number of reported cases by the dengue fever reduced by half compared with previous year.

Mam Bunheng also appealed to donor countries and development partners to continue helping Cambodia in the fight against dengue fever.

Rainy season starts from May through October during which newly born mosquito may deliver several diseases, including dengue fever and malaria, especially among children.

Cambodia records more cases of malaria and dengue fever in 2009

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has seen a rise in reported cases of dengue fever and malaria in 2009, local media reported on Tuesday, citing health officials here.

Ngan Chantha, director of dengue control at the Ministry of Health, was quoted by the Cambodia Daily as saying that there were11,652 cases and 37 deaths reported in 2009 compared with 9,456 reported cases and 65 deaths in 2008.

While infections increased 30 percent, deaths were down by half, he said.

When asked if the number is expected to increase in 2010, Chantha said it would depend on how well individuals protect themselves and their families from the mosquito-born virus.

Figures for malaria cases in 2009 are still being tallied, said Ministry of Health and World Health Organization officials, but are already higher than in 2008, when there were 58,887 cases and 209 deaths.

In 2009, 60,157 recorded malaria cases led to 213 deaths from January through September.

"We don't have the full numbers, we're still collecting the totals from the provinces, but yes, in 2009 there were more cases than in 2008," said Duong Socheat, director of the National Center for Parisitology, Entomology and Malaria Control. He blamed more migrant movement and more mobility for more cases of malaria.

Dengue fever a lesser concern this year in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Dengue, the mosquito-borne illness that claimed the lives of more than 400 Cambodian children, has proven to be less of a menace so far this year, English-Khmer language newspaper the Cambodian Daily said Friday.

From January through May 2008, Cambodia has seen 2,156 cases of the virus and 23 deaths, Ngan Chantha, national dengue program manager at Ministry of Health, told the paper.

That compares to 20,836 cases and 256 deaths in the same period of time last year, it added.

"Now, it is quite better if compared to last year," said Chantha.

While nearly every province was affected in 2007, this year's outbreaks have been more isolated, and cases have also been linked to a different strain of the virus, he said.

Chantha attributed this year's improved outlook to increased health awareness and prevention efforts after last year's epidemic, which was the worst in nearly a decade and led to some 40,000 cases overall in Cambodia.