Dengue Sweeping Southeast Asia

By Molly D’Esopo August 14, 2007

A surge in dengue fever cases has been reported throughout Southeast Asia, raising concern among public health officials. According to a recent Associated Press report, the last time the region experienced a major outbreak was in 1998 - the worst outbreak on record with a reported 350,000 cases and nearly 1,500 fatalities.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne illness characterized by extreme joint pain, high fever, nausea, rash, and severe headache. Patients suffering from the more serious hemorrhagic form can also experience enlarged liver, internal bleeding and circulatory failure. There is no cure or vaccine for dengue.

According to an August 1, 2007 report in The Guardian (UK), so far this year, Cambodia has seen dengue cases triple from 2005 numbers. The disease has affected approximately 25,000 people, and nearly 300 children have died. Malaysia and Vietnam have likewise reported increases of 50 percent and 40 percent, respectively, in case numbers.

Although dengue has hit poorer countries like Cambodia the hardest, cases are also mounting in wealthier nations. Indonesia has reported more than 100,000 infections so far this year. Nyoman Kandun, a senior official in Indonesia's ministry of health, expects that the total case number in Indonesia "will hit 200,000 by year's end," up from 114,000 reported for all of 2006. Similarly, Singapore has reported 5,000 cases, and more than 20,000 cases have been reported in Thailand up through June. Health experts attribute the rise of cases in wealthier nations to an increase in standing clean water reservoirs, such as swimming pools, that have accompanied urbanization. "Every pool, discarded plastic bag or tin can [is] a potential breeding ground [for the mosquitoes] during the rainy season."

The outbreaks in the region have prompted alarm among global health experts who worry that this year's surge in cases could become the normal benchmark for years to come. According to Kroeger Axel, a World Health Organization (WHO) dengue research coordinator, "We always think next year it will get better, but we always find next year it gets worse . . . There's a very clear upward trend."

References

1. Mason M. Dengue on rise in Asia. Associated Press (AP). July 30, 2007. Available at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070730/ap_on_re_as/asia_dengue_fever_1 . Accessed August 1, 2007.

2. MacKinnon I. Urbanization in Asia blamed for lethal epidemic of dengue. The Guardian (UK). August 1, 2007. Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/indonesia/Story/0,,2138944,00.html . Accessed August 1, 2007.

- Center for Biosecurity




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