WORLD> Asia-Pacific
Myanmar fights against dengue fever
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-07 13:42

YANGON -- Myanmar is carrying out major preventive measures against dengue fever in Yangon division, sterilizing wells and water tanks in residential quarters in 16 townships with the cooperation of the World Health Organization ( WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), the local Biweekly Eleven journal reported Thursday.

Using 5.5 tons of Abate disinfectant, the first largest amount of its kind with the measure, the move can prevent 430,000 people from being infected with the disease, the journal quoted medical experts as saying.

In early last July, Myanmar had carried out initial prevention measures in the division's basic education primary schools and wards in two townships with medical inspection teams giving educative talks and demonstration on the measures following reports on the outbreak in some wards in the townships.

Fresh dengue fever occurred in late last June in Dagon Myothit (North and South) and Hlaingtharya townships in the division, affecting children of five years of age and above, earlier reports said.

Directing at the outbreak, the WHO and UNICEF, in cooperation with the Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association and the Myanmar Red Cross, launched a 700,000-U.S.-dollar anti-dengue- fever campaign then in 11 storm-hit townships in Yangon and Ayeyawaddy divisions.

According to the WHO, Yangon division reported 781 dengue patients and Ayeyawaddy division reported 481 ones as of the end of May.

Meanwhile, the state media reported no outbreak of other contagious and epidemic diseases in the storm-hit areas, saying that a total of 206,039 storm patients had received medical treatment during a month after the cyclone storm hit the country on last May 2-3.