Yangon, Dec 2: The death toll of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) has surged to 123 across Myanmar in 11 months, said figures released by the Ministry of Health and Sports on Monday.
The Public Health Department under the ministry issued that 23,203 mosquito-borne disease infection cases were recorded in Myanmar’s regions and states from Jan. 1 to Nov. 23 this year.
During the period, the DHF infection mostly occurred in Kachin state, Yangon, Ayeyarwady, Mandalay and Sagaing regions. Of them, Kachin state topped with 4,222 infection cases and 30 deaths, followed by Yangon region with 2,804 cases and 33 deaths.
Children aged between five and nine years old were infected by the DHF the most, registering 9,264 infection cases, according to the ministry’s Vector Borne Disease Control Programme. Last year, a total of 3,469 DHF infection cases were recorded across the country, claiming 187 deaths.
Dengue fever is transmitted by the bite of the Aedes mosquito and mostly occurs in the months of June, July and August of the country’s rainy season.
The ministry urged people to take prevention measures including clearing mosquito breeding grounds, anti-larval operations against the DHF transmission as the infectious disease outbreaks are mostly occurred due to lack of sanitation, unhygienic water storage and others.
The ministry also warned that parents and health staff should take the possibility of DHF infection into consideration if the children are not feeling well as the symptoms of DHF and flu are much alike.
