The government is allocating a budget of 2 billion kip to use in the prevention and control of dengue fever. According to Director General of the Communicable Disease Control Department of the Ministry of Health, Dr Bounlay Phommasack, dengue fever is continuing its nationwide spread.
Reporting on the spread of the virus at the meeting where presided over by the Minister and Head of the Government’s Office, Dr Sinlavong Khoutphaythoune, Director General of the Communicable Disease Control Department of the Ministry of Health, Dr Bounlay Phommasack said that dengue fever is continuing its nationwide spread. According to him, from January until July, 20,367 people have been reported to have contracted the virus, leading to 64 deaths.
In Vientiane, 3,487 people have fallen victim to dengue fever, leading to 15 deaths and in Champassak province, 2,908 people have been infected, causing 25 deaths. Meanwhile Savannakhet has seen 2,758 people struck down with the disease with 9 deaths reported, and Saravan has registered 2,539 infections, leading to 7 deaths, Dr Bounlay added. On July 6, 508 individual dengue cases were reported while on July 7, 429 people were diagnosed with the virus. No deaths were recorded on those days.
Under the latest Ministry of Health move to combat the disease, final-year medical students from the University of Health Sciences and health sciences colleges throughout the country will be assigned to work with doctors and nurses to provide treatment for hospitalised dengue patients.
Health authorities encourage all people to sleep under mosquito nets during daytime naps, use insecticide sprays to keep rooms mosquito-free and be vigilant in the continued clearance of mosquito breeding grounds. Authorities are calling on communities throughout the country to work to reduce the spread of dengue fever, as the virus continues to cause fatalities nationwide.
Source: LNTV Lao News in English
