Cambodia warns of severe dengue fever outbreak

''There have been over 14,827 hospitalized cases and 182 deaths from dengue hemorrhagic fever in the first six months of 2007, or more than twice as many cases compared with the same period last year,'' a statement released by the Ministry of Health and World Health Organization said.

''The Ministry of Health has warned that Cambodia's severe nationwide dengue outbreak will further escalate unless concerted community action is taken to protect communities from further infection and deaths.''

Ngan Chantha, director of the ministry's National Dengue Control Program, said that in 2006, 156 children died of dengue.

Dengue outbreaks in Cambodia typically occur in three to five-year cyclical patterns, but in recent years annual outbreaks have become the norm. 

This year is particularly severe, and if present trends continue it will be the most serious to date, the statement warned. Although the Ministry of Health conducts anti-mosquito campaigns annually in high risk areas, many outbreaks occurred this year in communities outside the targeted areas, it said. There is no vaccine for dengue.

     Duong Socheat, director of the National Malaria Center, told Kyodo News that dengue has hit many Asian countries this year due to global warming. Dengue has also hit Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.//Kyodo