For decades, countries in Southeast Asia have learned to live with a deadly killer: dengue. Dengue is endemic to all countries in this region, and it can sometimes feel like we’ve become complacent in doing something about it. But here’s a terrifying statistic: in 2022, dengue deaths increased by 180% and dengue infections by more than 150% compared to the previous year in Malaysia. So what more can we do to prevent and treat dengue? What can we potentially learn from our neighbours in tackling dengue? 

We find out from Assoc Prof Dr Pratap Singhasivanon, secretary-general and coordinator of the Tropical Medicine Network under the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organisation. He’s also a public health authority on the epidemiology of tropical diseases and vector-borne infectious diseases, currently with Mahidol University. 

Image Credit: Cbenjasuwan / Shutterstock.com

Produced by: Lim Sue Ann

Presented by: Lim Sue Ann

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Categories:  health policy,  managing disease

Tags:  haemorrhagic fever,  dengue,  aedes,  mosquito,  infectious disease,  fogging,  thailand,