Cambodia launches annual campaign to fight dengue fever

PHNOM PENH, May 31 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Friday launched its annual campaign to fight against dengue fever as the rainy season comes.

More than 1,000 health officials, health-related nongovernmental organization representatives, and students gathered at a public park in front of Botum Vatey pagoda in Phnom Penh to mark the campaign launching.

At the event, health experts appealed to all parents, guardians and students to kill larvae by using the chemical substance known as Abate in water pots and other still water sources.

"Also, we have to fill in puddles around houses, which are sources of mosquitoes," said Dr. Ngan Chantha, director of the Health Ministry's national dengue control program, adding that people should sleep under mosquito nets and raise seven-colored fish in their water pots to eat larva.

He said during the first four months of this year, the country recorded 2,541 cases of dengue fever, down 31 percent from 3,668 cases at the same period last year.

During the period this year, the disease killed 15 children, down from 17 deaths over the same period last year, he said.

Dengue fever is a viral disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. The disease causes an acute illness of sudden onset that usually follows symptoms such as headache, fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands, vomiting and rash.

Disease outbreak usually begins at the onset of rainy season in May and lasts until October.

Last year, the country recorded 42,362 dengue fever cases, killing 189 kids.