2020-06-17 06:54:40 | Posted by Web Team
Dengue is still a global and regional threat causing additional major public health burden for all communities amidst the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic.
Unlike COVID-19, dengue continuously spreads as a mosquito-borne viral disease throughout the Asia Pacific Region. This neglected tropical disease has a wide clinical spectrum which includes both severe and non-severe clinical manifestations.
Considering that dengue is still prevalent in ASEAN Member States, the 10th ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting in 2010 declared 15 June as the “ASEAN Dengue Day”.
Since then, ASEAN Dengue Day has been observed every 15 June as a key regional advocacy to strengthen relevant information exchanges, raise awareness about the prevention and control measures and interventions against dengue.
In order to address the increasing trend of this disease, it requires commitment, cooperation, and multi-sectoral sustained response from the private sector, non-governmental bodies, and more importantly, the affected communities. This will augment prevention activities and interventions besides an integrated approach to vector management, surveillance and sustained efforts against dengue. Continuous collective and harmonized initiatives aimed to address this burden among ASEAN Member States are also needed.
The ASEAN Health Sector in responding to all hazards and emerging health threats, similar to the actions for COVID-19 response, aims to reduce dengue morbidity median by at least 25% for the period 2016 to 2020 compared to the median of the past five years (2011 to 2015).
This year, to commemorate ASEAN Dengue Day, there will be activities on dengue for the month of June and July 2020 among ASEAN Member States and external partners; a webinar on Dengue in the Age of Pandemics: A New Era; and an advocacy press statement from the Health Minister of Malaysia based on the subtheme “10 minutes to destroy Aedes”. Additionally, a regional webinar “A decade of regional best practices and lessons in Dengue Advocacy for Prevention and Control” in collaboration with The International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases will also be organised.
source: https://asean.org/asean-dengue-day-age-pandemic/?highlight=health
