Simultaneous advocacy and awareness-raising activities at national and community levels are carried out in the ASEAN region today, as the annual ASEAN Dengue Day is commemorated to highlight the critical importance of multi-sector, multi-stakeholder and sustained efforts in the prevention and control of dengue. The theme for this year’s ASEAN Dengue Day Celebration is “United Fight Against Dengue.”
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection with flu-like illness that can potentially develop into severe complications characterized by respiratory distress, severe bleeding and organ impairment. It is one of the fastest growing emerging infectious diseases in the world that affects infants, children and adults. Dengue does not only have public health consequences but also has significant socio-economic impacts. It is globally estimated that there are 390 million dengue infections per year, of which 96 million have clinical symptoms. It is estimated that the economic burden of dengue in Southeast Asian countries amounts to an annual cost per capita of US$ 1.65.
Interventions require the engagement of health and non-health government sectors with relevant private sectors and community stakeholders in advocating and implementing control and prevention programmes against dengue. For this reason, Cambodia as the lead country for the 2017 ASEAN Dengue Day chose the said theme. The theme is one of the ASEAN–WHO core messages in the prevention and control of dengue launched in 2011.
To reinforce national and local ASEAN Dengue Day commemorative activities, a special issue of the ASEAN E-Health Bulletin – a semi-annual publication of the ASEAN Health Cooperation, is issued today profiling current situation of initiatives and innovations in dengue prevention and control in ASEAN Member States. A compilation of national-led 2017 ASEAN Dengue Day activities will also be featured in the ASEAN website in the coming days.
The ASEAN Health Cooperation commits to provide long-term leadership in the fight against dengue in the region as reflected in the ASEAN Post-2015 Health Development Agenda (2016 – 2020). Guided by global frameworks such as the Global Strategy for Dengue Prevention and Control 2012 – 2020, regional strategies and priority activities were incorporated in the ASEAN Health Cluster 2 “Responding to All Hazards and Emerging Threats” Work Programme (2016-2020) to combat dengue and contribute to substantial reduction of dengue morbidity by 2020.
The observance of ASEAN Dengue Day was endorsed at the 10th ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting in 2010 as a key regional advocacy initiative against dengue to be commemorated every 15 June by all ASEAN Member States. It was launched in 2011 through a series of conferences and community events under the leadership of Indonesia, and was since then observed annually through Lead Countries: Myanmar in 2012, Viet Nam in 2013, Philippines in 2014, Lao PDR in 2015, and Thailand in 2016.
Source: www.who.int; www.journals.plos.org
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