Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) annually celebrates the ASEAN Dengue Day (ADD) on 15th June in the tropical and subtropical areas, such as Southeast Asia, Pacific islands, Latin America and Africa to create awareness on the prevention and control of Dengue at the regional and National level.
- This day also allows the ASEAN Members to promote measures to prevent the Dengue, in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO).
- The 2023 theme for the ASEAN Dengue Day is ASEAN’s Commitment to Fight against Dengue.
Objective:
i. The objective is to demonstrate the commitment of ASEAN Member States (AMS) in the fight against dengue by recognizing the threats and opportunities and working together towards proactive and sustainable solutions.
ii. Increasing access to preventive health services such as education, and access to health professionals will help reduce the impact of dengue in communities.
Background:
i. The observance of ASEAN Dengue Day was endorsed at the 10th ASEAN HealthMinisters Meeting in 2010 as a key regional advocacy initiative against dengue.
ii. It is declared, that 15th June of every year as the ASEAN Dengue Day by all AMS.
iii. The first official ASEAN Dengue Day was observed on 15th June 2011.
World Dengue campaign:
i. In 2018, the International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ISNTD) started a worldwide dengue awareness campaign, and called on the United Nations (UN) and WHO to designate a World Dengue Day.
ii. ISNTD also convened an international and multi-sectoral Dengue Advisory Group, composed of partners from Ministries of Health, research and academia, Non-government Organisations (NGO)s and civic society, to guide this campaign.
iii. The World Dengue Day campaign is aiming to consolidate dengue prevention and control measures on an international scale given the rapidly growing global threat of dengue.
iv. Hence to mark the observance of ASEAN Dengue Day 2021, and to establish the first World Dengue Day, ISNTD and Asia Dengue Voice & Action (ADVA) have jointly organised ISNTD-ADVA World Dengue Day Forum – Cross Sector Synergies, which was held online from 13 to 15 June 2021.
Asia Dengue Summit:
i. In 2023, ADD will be commemorated at the 6th Asia Dengue Summit (ADS) 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand from 15 to 16 June 2023, under the theme “Road Map to Zero Dengue Death”.
ii. The 6th ADS will serve as the platform for Dengue experts from all over the world to share information on all aspects of Dengue which will lead to better prevention and control of global Dengue.
National Dengue Day in India:
India annually observes the National Dengue Day on 16th May, instituted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Dengue:
i. Dengue is one of the most common mosquito-borne viral diseases/infection caused by the dengue virus (DENV), which spreads far and wide in tropical and subtropical regions, mostly in the urban and semi-urban areas.
ii. It is transmitted by female mosquitoes of the species Aedesaegypti (Ae. aegypti, Primary dengue vector) and Aedesalbopictus (Ae. albopictus, secondary dengue vector in Asia)
Dengue Vaccine:
i. Dengvaxia® (CYD-TDV) is the first dengue vaccine to be licensed worldwide by Sanofi Pasteur (Paris, France).
ii. It was first licensed in Mexico in December 2015 for use in individuals 9-45 years of age living in endemic areas, and is now licensed in 20 countries. iii. CYD-TDV is a live recombinant tetravalent dengue vaccine, given as a 3-dose series on a 0/6/12 month schedule.
Additional Info:
i. According to the WHO, dengue is now endemic in more than 100 countries, with Asia representing approximately 70% of the global burden of disease.
ii. Malaysia has seen a 200% spike in dengue cases, the cumulative number of dengue cases reported from January 2023 onwards was 33,325, which is 204.2% higher than the corresponding period of 2022, which reported 10,954 cases.
About Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN):
Established on– 8 August 1967
Chair (2023)- Indonesia
Theme of 2023 Chairmanship– ASEAN Matter: Epicentrum of Growth.
Secretary-General– Dr. Kao Kim Hourn (Cambodia)
Headquarters– Jakarta, Indonesia
