WHO mulls cross-border collaboration vs dengue

MANILA, Philippines - With almost half of the world’s population now at risk of dengue, the World Health Organization (WHO) is pushing for “cross-border” collaboration to stop the spread of the mosquito-borne disease.

The WHO said collaboration to build regional capacity is the key to avert the impact of the dengue outbreak that has affected more than 100 countries worldwide.

“Through such cross-border collaboration and sharing of dengue information, timely sensing of the dengue situation can improve preparedness within each country in the event of an outbreak,” the WHO said.

The agency said the incidence of dengue has been increasing dramatically in the last few decades, with an estimated 50-100 million dengue infections occurring worldwide each year.

Before 1970, only nine countries had experienced severe dengue epidemics, but today the disease is endemic in more than 100 countries.

“Not only is the number of cases increasing as the disease spreads to new areas, but frequent explosive outbreaks are occurring,” the WHO said.

It said the Western Pacific, home to a quarter of the world’s population, bears the heavy socio-economic burden due to dengue.

In 2013, member-states of the Western Pacific region reported 428,635 cases and 964 deaths from the disease.

The Philippines recorded over 204,906 cases and 660 deaths last year.

The WHO recently held the 10-day Fourth Asia-Pacific Dengue Workshop to discuss measures to lessen the dengue epidemic.

It said there is currently no available vaccine or effective medication against dengue, thus preventing mosquitoes from breeding and propagating and protecting people from Aedes mosquito vectors are the best defense against the disease.

Early detection of suspected cases, access to proper medical care and disease management, especially during outbreaks, can help in reducing the number of fatal cases, the WHO noted.

The WHO supports countries through its collaborating network of centers and laboratories, and provides technical and financial support and guidance for the effective management of dengue.

WHO regional director for Western Pacific Shin Young-soo said dealing with a deadly disease such as dengue requires strong and consistent collaboration from everyone.

“Dengue hinders progress, which prevents our people from enjoying quality life. It is therefore imperative that we pool our considerable resources together to rid our region of dengue,” he said.

He then urged governments, communities, stakeholders and donor agencies to strengthen efforts and programs for the routine control of vector-borne diseases and to ensure that systems are in place to detect, prepare for and respond to dengue outbreaks.