ASEAN Health Cluster 2 Statement for the 2022 ASEAN Dengue Day Commemoration

Theme : ASEAN’s Resilience Against Dengue Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic 

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that has rapidly spread in most ASEAN countries in recent years. The virus is transmitted by female mosquitoes mainly of the species Aedesaegypti. Dengue is widespread throughout ASEAN, with local variations in risk influenced by climate parameters as well as social and environmental factors. The disease causes a wide spectrum of disease, ranging from subclinical disease to severe flu-like symptoms and some people develop severe dengue associated with severe bleeding, organ impairment and/or plasma leakage. Severe dengue was recognized in the 1950s during dengue epidemics in the Philippines and Thailand. Today, severe dengue affects most Asian countries and has become a leading cause of hospitalization and death among children and adults in these regions. 

Dengue affected several ASEAN countries, with report of increasing in the number of cases in Cambodia in 2019, and then in Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand in 2020 while continually affecting other ASEAN countries like Vietnam and Philippines. 

The observance of ASEAN Dengue Day was endorsed at the 10th ASEAN Health Ministers Meeting in 2010 as a key regional advocacy initiative against dengue to be commemorated every June 15 by all ASEAN Member States. The commitment of each Member State to raise awareness and dissemination of information continues in the prevention, control and intervention of this disease.  

This year, the theme for the ASEAN Dengue Day is ASEAN’s Resilience Against Dengue Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic. The objective is to show the world that the AMS are indeed united against dengue and to showcase AMS’ resilience to fight dengue despite the pandemic’s continuing burden/negative impact on their health system, knowing that the combined impact of the COVID-19 and dengue epidemics can have severe consequences on the populations at risk.  

The past two challenging years had brought enormous pressure to our health care system to the extent that most countries were overwhelmed and held hostage by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, the AMS were able to continue their fight against dengue despite all the challenges, showing to the world how resilient their health care system amidst the pandemic. 

On this ASEAN Dengue Day, we encourage every member state to work together to document and share the adaptive measures they have implemented in the past 2 years to prevent/control dengue outbreaks while containing the COVID-19 pandemic; challenges they have encountered in the past 2 years in dengue prevention and control; lastly, the best practices and innovative strategies they have developed and implemented to address these challenges.  

 In this light, all will be moving towards the directions of unity to fight against dengue. 

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