Dengue fever case count accelerating in Arakan State as storm waters stagnate

By Admin 09 Jun 2023

DMG Newsroom
9 June 2023, Sittwe

Cases of the mosquito-borne dengue fever have become more common due to an increase in garbage and the lack of proper drainage and sanitation around houses and drains in townships in post-cyclone Arakan State, according to the Arakan State Department of Public Health (DPH).

There were 109 cases of dengue fever reported in Arakan State from January to June 6 this year and 79 cases in May, according to figures compiled by the DPH.

“Mosquitoes reproduce very quickly, and diseases transmitted by mosquitoes can spread quickly. This year, dengue fever cases may be higher than last year,” said Dr. Zaw Zaw Aung, assistant director of Arakan State DPH.

Arakan State DPH said it is working on mosquito control to reduce future cases of dengue fever, and is also trying to get the necessary medicines from the Union government.

Arakan State DPH is working with 20 health workers in each town to provide general healthcare and prevent diarrheal diseases due to unclean drinking water.

Residents say high tides during the storm and the increase in garbage production have resulted in more mosquito breeding than last year.

“Since the storm, small mosquitoes have been breeding, so we are worried that the children will get dengue fever,” said Daw Thein Thein, a local woman in Sittwe.

A mosquito-borne tropical disease, dengue fever can infect all people, regardless of age or gender, but is most common among children under age 15, the DPH has warned.

Symptoms, which usually last two to seven days, include high fever, nausea, vomiting, skin rashes or red spots, chills, and muscle and joint pain.

“The weather is hot and rainy, so there are people in the village who are sick. There are more mosquitoes than before. We were provided with mosquito nets, but we are worried that we will get sick,” said U Tun Tin Soe, a resident of Cheinkhali Village in Rathedaung Township.

According to figures from the DPH, Arakan State reported 2,306 dengue fever cases and five associated deaths in 2022. There were 421 cases and one death in Arakan State in 2021.