CPI Supports Dengue Prevention Efforts in Hpa-An, Kayin State

On June 16, 2018, more than 70 members of Hpa-An’s Township Health Department (THD), local authorities, and women’s organizations gathered in Hpa-An to participate in efforts, supported in part by Community Partners International (CPI), to control the spread of the dengue virus.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne virus that causes acute fever. The most severe form, dengue hemorrhagic fever, can be fatal. The onset of the monsoon rains in Myanmar has seen a rapid increase in mosquito numbers, enabling the dengue virus to spread rapidly. Kayin State has already seen 143 recorded cases of dengue, 28 of which were identified as potentially fatal dengue hemorrhagic fever. Without coordinated action, there are likely to be many more cases.

The team, which included midwives and health assistants, visited households in Hpa-An’s 9th Ward distributing pamphlets about dengue, advising on ways to control mosquito numbers, and providing sachets of specialized slow-release insecticide that can be added to standing water in and around their homes to significantly reduce the number of mosquito larvae. The team also visited local standing water sources to check for mosquito larvae.

CPI will continue coordinating with the Hpa-An Township Health Department to support continued mosquito larva control efforts during this high-risk period.