Plans to curb dengue fever

BANGKOK, June 17 (TNA) -- Concerns over an alarming spread of dengue fever among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), three health associations in Thailand have called on ASEAN members to join in a fight against the disease. The request was jointly made by chiefs of the three associations - the Asian Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases, the Pediatric Infectious Disease Society of Thailand and the Infectious Disease Association of Thailand – on Friday. They said the 10-member of ASEAN have proclaimed that June 15 of every year is the ASEAN Dengue Day and urged everybody to realise that stripped mosquitoes are carrier for dengue fever while the mosquitoes are originated in several ASEAN counties. About half of the world population are posed as risk to the disease while as many as 70 per cent of the patients are found in Asia, they said. In an attempt to reduce the number of patients in ASEAN, the chiefs of the three associations called on a strict implementation of five measures including diagnosis, monitoring of the disease, controlling the birth of mosquitoes, using vaccination to cure the disease and a conducting further studies. Vaccination used for curing dengue fever has been used since 2016 but its price is still very high at 3,000 baht. Patients have to used three injections in order to cure the disease. Chief of the three associations called on ASEAN members to find ways in lowering the price of the vaccination. (TNA)