Day of Dengue Fever announced by Asean health ministers

The first Asean Day of Dengue Fever will be held on 15 June 2011, after a decision by Asean health ministers at a two-day meeting in Singapore.

“We will mark this day by urging the public to be aware of dengue fever and get them to be more cautious to prevent the disease,” says Malaysian health minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai.

The number of official dengue cases in Malaysia this year to 21 July was 26,927 with 91 deaths, surpassing the 88-death record for the whole of last year.

The number of dengue patients in Thailand increased by 60 per cent last year. The Philippines and Indonesia also saw an increase in serious outbreaks of the disease in the same period.