Cambodia sees spike in dengue fever cases

Phnom Penh [Cambodia], July 20 (ANI/Xinhua): Cambodia recorded 2,869 dengue fever cases in the first half of 2022, jumping by three times over the same period last year, a health official said on Wednesday.
Leang Rithea, program manager for the National Dengue Control Program (NDCP) under the Ministry of Health, said the mosquito-borne disease killed seven people, mostly children during the January-June period this year.
He added that an increase in precipitation in the early rainy season was blamed for the rise in dengue fever cases.
“It rained more this year, and there are several factors contributing to the surge in dengue fever cases including climate change, heat, humidity, and rainfall,” he told Xinhua. “All in all, the more it rains, the more mosquitoes there are.”
Despite the growing number of cases, the NDCP has brought the situation under control after working with relevant stakeholders and local authorities, he added.
Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted through the bite of an Aedes mosquito, which is a day-biting mosquito.
Rithea urged people to fill in the puddles around their houses, saying the puddles are breeding grounds for mosquitoes and advised the use of mosquito nets when sleeping.
He said the NDCP will continue distributing the anti-dengue mosquito larvicide Abate to households in dengue-prone areas.
“Parents must bring their children to the nearest public hospitals or health centers, not later than 72 hours if their children have an acute fever,” he said. “Please don’t try to treat the disease by yourselves, nor seek treatment from unauthorized medical practitioners.”
Dengue fever causes an acute illness with symptoms such as headache, high fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands, vomiting and rashes.
In the Southeast Asian nation, the dengue peak time is in the rainy season from May to October. (ANI/Xinhua)