In 2014, nearly 14,000 dengue fever cases were recorded across the country of Myanmar, leaving 89 dead. In 2015 to date, according to health minister Dr Than Aung said the case count so far has eclipsed 7,000.
Specifically, 7,043 dengue cases, including 28 deaths have been reported by the Health Ministry.
Dr Aung said, “The number of patients has been increasing since April. The Ministry of Health has added momentum to its preventive measures against the disease, joining hands with the education ministry.”
Related: Asia dengue fever update: Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia
According to the World Health Organization,dengue is transmitted by the bite of a mosquito infected with one of the four dengue virus serotypes. It is a febrile illnessthat affects infants, young children and adults with symptoms appearing 3-14 days after the infective bite. As many as 400million people areinfectedyearly.
Dengue is not transmitted directly from person-to-person and symptoms range from mild fever, to incapacitating high fever, with severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, and rash. There is novaccine or any specific medicine to treatdengue. People who have dengue fever should rest, drink plenty of fluids and reduce the fever using paracetamol or see a doctor.
Severe dengue (also known as dengue hemorrhagic fever) is characterized by fever, abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, bleeding and breathing difficulty and is a potentially lethal complication, affecting mainly children. Early clinical diagnosis and careful clinical management by trained physicians and nurses increase survival of patients.
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