The Lao Ministry of Health issued a report on Wednesday stating that the number of dengue cases this year has surpassed 30,000.
An official report from the Center of Information and Education for Health which works under the Ministry of Health says that a total of 30,220 dengue fever cases have been reported in Laos since the start of the year. This includes 115 new cases and 22 deaths so far.
Vientiane Capital saw the highest number of cases this year at 14,856, while Luang Namtha recorded 4,390 cases, and 1,573 cases were reported in Attapeu. The total number of cases has surged substantially since September when the number of infected individuals was around 25,000.
Last month, Dr. Phonepaseuth Ounaphom, Director General of the Department of Hygiene and Health Promotion, Ministry of Health, urged residents to not drop their caution regarding dengue mosquitoes. He advised that although the rainy season was over, people should still remain vigilant and clear any stagnant water to keep mosquitoes from breeding.
He also requested residents to follow the “Ha Por” dengue safe practice, which includes sealing containers, emptying all water vessels, keeping Guppy fish in large jars of water, and sanitizing residential areas, to reduce the risk of catching dengue fever.
Starting early next year, The Ministry of Health is planning to test the use of a new breed of mosquito, the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes Aegypti) injected with Wolbachia bacteria, to control dengue fever transmission in Laos.
