Dengue season “came early” to Mon State

June 21, 2013

Unseasonably warm and wet weather this year has triggered a surge in cases of dengue fever in Mon State and other areas of Burma. Health practitioners reported that children in particular are being brought for treatment to overcrowded medical clinics, and a recent report by the Ministry of Health in Burma reveals that Mon State trails only the Ayeyarwady Region and Yangon for having the country’s highest number of dengue fever cases.

“Dengue came early this year. In previous years, dengue began in the rainy season between June and July,” said Dr. Min Soe Lin who runs the Ya Ta Nar Mon clinic in Moulmein, the capital of Mon State. “Now, there are about 15 dengue patients per day coming for treatment in my clinic, and not only children but also adults. There is [not enough] space for patients, even in the hospital.”

Dr. Nyan Sint of the Mon State Health Department said the latest records show that 997 people have been infected with dengue in ten townships of Mon State, though none have died from the mosquito-borne virus.

According to Dr. Min Soe Lin, dengue infections are primarily affecting children between 6 months and 12 years of age, along with some adult cases and incidences of severe dengue that require urgent medical attention. He added that dengue is spreading more rapidly in urban Moulmein than in the surrounding villages in Thanbyuzayat and Mudon townships, but patients reported that local hospitals are also running low on bed space and medicine.

“My son got dengue and was treated at the hospital in Thanbyuzayat Township. There is no medicine for dengue at the hospital and the patients have to buy it from stores outside,” said Thanbyuzayat resident Daw Tin Tin Nyo.

One Moulmein resident said, “I saw a lot of [dengue] patients from the rural areas as well as from town when I visited my nephew at the Ya Ta Nar Mon clinic.”

“Patients don’t want to get treated in local hospitals that are not stocked with supplies,” said a doctor in Thanbyuzyat Township. “Instead they mostly go to the hospital in Moulmein.”

The Mon State Health Department and local village authorities have begun cooperative efforts focusing on community education to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds and prevent rapid transmission of the virus.

Mon State Prime Minister U Ohn Myint, Social Minister Dr. Hla Oo and Minster of Municipal Affairs Dr. Toe Toe Aung recently visited Moulmein Hospital to assess the incidences of dengue and the hospital’s capacity for treatment. After the evaluation, U Ohm Myint called for immediate action regarding dengue protection measures and the construction of a new building to provide adequate space for patients.

Record dengue seasons are being forecasted in other Southeast Asian countries as well, with Thailand, Singapore, Laos, and Cambodia experiencing high numbers of dengue infections.

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News