Dengue Cases in Cambodia Plummet by 46 Percent in 2024
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Phnom Penh, Jan 12 (NationPress) Cambodia has documented 18,987 dengue cases in 2024, reflecting a remarkable downturn of 46 percent compared to 35,390 cases in the prior year, as reported by the Ministry of Health on Sunday.
According to the report, 46 lives were lost last year, which is a 53.5 percent reduction from 99 fatalities the previous year.
Leang Rithea, the manager of the National Dengue Control Programme and deputy director of the National Center for Parasitology, Entomology, and Malaria Control, credited this achievement to initiatives aimed at distributing larvicides, mosquito repellents, and additional materials to households to thwart a widespread outbreak, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
He emphasized that parents should seek medical attention for their ill children at health centers or state hospitals within 48 hours if they suspect a dengue infection.
Rithea also urged households to eliminate puddles around their homes, which serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Dengue fever is a viral illness transmitted via the bite of an Aedes mosquito.
This disease typically causes acute symptoms, including headaches, high fever, fatigue, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands, vomiting, and rash.
In Cambodia, the dengue epidemic peaks during the rainy season, from May to October.
Previously, Huy Rekol, the Director of the National Centre for Parasitology, Entomology, and Malaria Control, mentioned that malaria cases in the country dropped by 74 percent, from 1,384 cases in 2023 to just 355 cases in 2024.
Malaria is primarily found in tropical and subtropical regions across the Americas, Asia, and Africa. The term 'malaria' is derived from the Medieval Italian phrase mala aria, meaning 'bad air'.
This illness is prevalent in hot and humid tropical zones. In 2020, there were 241 million reported cases of malaria worldwide, leading to 627,000 deaths from this vector-borne disease, with most cases occurring in Africa and South Asia.
