Two Dead, Hundreds Sick With Dengue Fever in Mon State
Two children died because they did not receive medical treatment on time, health officials say.
By NETWORK MEDIA GROUP (NMG)
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
Two children have died and 365 people have gotten sick with dengue fever in the last five months in Mon State, according to the deputy director of the state’s public health department.
The statistics presented by Dr. Sithu Ye Naung were collected between January 1 and June 17 in Mon State’s 10 townships. According to him, 500 people were affected during this same time frame in the state last year, with one death.
“When we analyzed the cases of death [due to dengue], they were four to five days late in arriving to the hospital. That’s why they died,” Dr. Sithu Ye Naung told NMG.
According to Mon State’s public health department, Mawlamyine, Mudon and Kyaikmayaw townships have been the most affected by this dengue this year. Those who come down with the virus are largely children between the ages of five and nine, a doctor in Mudon Township told NMG.
“Some people are killed by it because they do not receive medical treatment on time. If they come to my medical clinic, I tell them to go to the hospital. Many people are affected by dengue fever this year,” the doctor explained.
Dengue fever, which is a mosquito-borne disease, typically strikes during the rainy season. Mon State’s public health department said that most cases occur in June and July, which is the beginning of the academic year.
To prevent dengue the health department is carrying out an awareness campaign and cooperating with township-level health departments to kill mosquitos and mosquito larvae weekly during the rainy season.
Dr. Sithu Ye Naung emphasized the importance of public participation in preventing dengue.
There were 1,595 people affected by dengue fever in Mon State in total in 2018. According to the public health department, four people were killed by the illness that year.
