Dengue kills 33 in Yangon

A man fumigates a building in Tamwe Township in Yangon. (Photo-Kyi Naing)

Published 5 December 2019

Till November 23 this year, 2,804 dengue fever cases and 33 deaths were reported in Yangon Region, according to the figures released by the Yangon Region Public Health Department.

Dr. Nay Yi Yi Lin, the project manager of fight and control of DHF said: “Dengue cases and deaths are reported mostly in Kachin, Ayeyawady and Yangon. Last year, there were 3,649 dengue cases and 25 deaths in Yangon. The transmission rate and fatality rates among children aged between five and nine is the highest. The department is always monitoring the spread of dengue fever. The dengue transmission usually peaks from mid-June to September every year.”

Till September 21, there were 18,320 cases and 107 deaths nationwide. Kachin topped the list with 2,904 cases and 29 deaths, followed by Ayeyawady, Yangon, Mandalay and Rakhine.

Till August 10, 13,048 cases and 68 deaths were reported nationwide. Ayeyawady led the list with 2,350 cases and eight deaths, followed by Yangon, Kachin, Rakhine and Mon.

In 2018, there were 23,000 cases and 112 deaths nationwide, a significant increase.

Most-affected areas in Yangon are Hlaingthayar, Shwepyithar, Insein, Mingaladon, South Dagon, East Dagon, Thanlyin, Hlegu, Thaketa and Dagon Seikkan Townships.

The number of populations infected with dengue fever around the globe, increased from 905 in 1955-1959 to more than two million beyond 2010. In Myanmar, the number of dengue cases increased from over 6,000 in 1974-1976 to over 40,000 in 2015.

According to figures as of 22 November 2019 from European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Asia region has seen significant hike in total dengue related cases; Thailand reported more than 136 000 cases including 126 deaths have been reported in Thailand in 2019, Laos reported 33 728 cases including 59 deaths in 2019 and as of week 41 (ending on 12 October 2019), Malaysia reported 115 286 cases, including 295 deaths in 2019 as of 18 November 2019, The Philippines reported 371 717 dengue cases and 1 407 deaths as of 19 October 2019 and Singapore reported 14 272 cases in 2019 as of 15 November 2019.