Laos has tested over 30,000 people for Covid-19 since January, but dengue fever could pose an even greater threat.
With 20 confirmed cases, Laos is taking no chances for a second wave of Covid-19. The country has implemented strict preventative measures, including limited immigration, and mandatory testing and quarantine for those who enter the country.
Since January, Laos has conducted 31,103 tests for Covid-19, with 20 positive cases. Of those, 19 patients have already been discharged from hospital, according to a report by the Lao Ministry of Health.
The final patient is receiving treatment at the Mittaphab Friendship “150 beds” Hospital in Vientiane Capital, and the National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control has announced that it has monitored 3,356 people at 53 isolation centers nationwide.
Dengue Fever Remains a Major Threat
Meanwhile, however, another deadly virus has begun to spread across Laos – the mosquito-borne dengue fever.
A total of 4,455 cases of dengue fever have been recorded across the country since January, according to a report by Xinhua.
The virus has caused nine deaths so far, with the highest concentration of patients in Vientiane Capital, with 1,017 cases recorded.
Bolikhamxay Province has confirmed 523 cases, and Vientiane Province has seen 457 cases.
Most of the deaths recorded occurred in Vientiane Capital, and health authorities are urging residents in urban areas to clear potential mosquito breeding sites around their homes.
The World Health Organization says dengue fever is an emerging pandemic-prone viral disease flourishing in urban poor areas. The incidence of dengue has increased 30-fold over the last 50 years with up to 100 million infections occurring annually over 100 endemic countries, putting almost half the world’s population at risk.
