BMA, businesses join hands in dengue war

Community awareness needed as cases spike

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the Department of Disease Control are teaming up with businesses to raise public awareness of dengue fever, which is growing more prevalent as climate change increases the range of mosquitos that carry the disease.

To mark Asean Dengue Day, which falls on June 15, BMA and DDC, along with Kao Industrial (Thailand) Co Ltd, Takeda (Thailand) Limited and other corporate partners, organised an event called "Dengue Heroes towards Zero Death".

The event, which was held at Airawat Pattana building at the City Hall complex in Din Daeng, was organised to support the World Health Organization's (WHO) goal of zero dengue-related deaths by 2030.

Local residents were urged to carry out protective measures to guard their communities against the spread of the disease, which include ensuring proper sanitation and drainage so Aedes aegypti mosquitos can't breed in their area.

Participants were told this is particularly important, especially since the shorter but more intense bursts of rain that are typical during the El Nino phenomenon often cause pools of clean, stagnant water, which mosquitoes need to breed.

Between January and May this year, nearly 30,000 cases of dengue fever were reported. Twenty-nine people have died from the disease, but the number is expected to rise up to 280 by the end of the year, according to the DDC.

Thongchai Keeratihatthayakorn, DDC director-general, stressed the importance of public participation in breaking the dengue transmission cycle. "By becoming 'dengue heroes' in their communities, everyone can help," he said.

At the event, Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt highlighted the city's efforts to prevent the spread of the disease, which include active surveillance, eradication of breeding sites, and community engagement. "Our goal is to ensure everyone in the community is informed and vigilant," he said.

The event was also supported by the Embassy of Japan in Thailand, National Electronics and Computer Technology Center, Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand, Amata Plc, and CP ALL Plc.