With over 390 million infections annually, dengue remains one of the most widespread and fastest-growing vector-borne diseases globally.
In 2023, Malaysia recorded an 86.3% increase in dengue cases compared to the previous year. To address the growing threat of dengue, over 500 leading dengue experts from 20 countries, including clinicians, academia, researchers, public health leaders, and policymakers gathered at the 7th Asia Dengue Summit to share insights, updates, and achievements on dengue prevention and control.
Themed “Towards Zero Dengue Deaths: Innovation, Collaboration, Action in Asia”, the summit co-convened by Asia Dengue Voice & Action (ADVA) Group; Fondation Mérieux (FMx); Global Dengue and Aedes Transmitted Diseases Consortium (GDAC); Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Tropical Medicine and Public Health Network (SEAMEO TROPMED); the International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ISNTD); and Dengue Prevention Advocacy Malaysia (DPAM) was joined and officiated by Dato Lukanisman Awang Sauni, Deputy Minister of Health, Malaysia.
The three-day summit opened with a speech by Professor Datuk Dr Zulkifli Ismail, Chairman, of ADVA, who recapped ADVA's journey through the past six Asia Dengue Summits, detailed the history of dengue in Malaysia dating back to 1901, and highlighted the World Health Organization's recognition of dengue as one of the ten threats to global health.
“The Asia Dengue Summit offers a strategic platform for policymakers to network and learn from other countries' successful strategies in meeting WHO goals. Emerging advances in vector control, modelling methods, and dengue vaccines will enable new approaches to achieving these targets. Strengthening early detection and clinical management is essential to reduce case fatality rates, fulfilling a key objective,” said Dr Zulkifli.
Ministry of Health Initiatives in Curbing Dengue
The Ministry of Health Malaysia has pledged its commitment to the latest National Dengue Prevention and Control Strategic Plan (2022-2026) to reduce dengue morbidity and mortality.
“In our on-going efforts to heighten public awareness, the Ministry of Health has launched the iDengue portal, providing weekly updates on dengue cases, deaths, and hotspot areas. Furthermore, the Communication for Behavioural Impact programme (COMBI) has been adopted in 3,380 localities with more than 32,163 active members nationwide to facilitate community mobilisation for dengue prevention activities,” said Dato Lukanisman Awang Sauni, Deputy Minister of Health, Malaysia.
The Dengue Slayers Challenge
ADVA, in collaboration with Junior Achievement, launched the Dengue Slayers Challenge in 5 countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, and Thailand) to engage youth in tackling dengue. The first-place winners from each country, selected from 153 teams, will compete in the Asia Pacific Grand Finals in Kuala Lumpur on 7 June 2024.
Shanthi Kanthaswamy, Executive Director of Junior Achievement Malaysia, emphasised that the initiative's goal is to inspire young students to develop innovative solutions for dengue prevention and control.
Joining Hands to Eradicate Dengue
Fostering the mutual exchange of best practices, shared resources, and informed decision making is crucial to advancing global dengue prevention and control efforts. To this end, ADVA and Vista Health, a global value-based healthcare agency, launched the Asia Dengue Policy Working Group on 29 April 2024. This is the first working group under the ADVA Dengue Task Force and aims to elevate the priority of dengue prevention at national, sub-national and regional levels.
The Policy Working Group strives to unite diverse stakeholders and provide a platform for dialogue, consensus-building, evidence-based decision-making, and effective dengue prevention policies through strategic planning. The collective mission is to spearhead global efforts towards achieving the WHO's goal of Zero Dengue Deaths by 2030.
World Dengue Day
In 2021, ISNTD and ADVA announced the establishment of World Dengue Day to improve global awareness, share best practices, and prioritise preparedness in the fight against dengue. Effectively tackling and eradicating dengue requires a joint effort from a wide range of stakeholders. World Dengue Day calls on all governments, healthcare professionals, civil societies, public and private sectors, schools and universities, and citizens in dengue-endemic countries to form a strong coalition. This coalition aims to encourage and accelerate a collective response to dengue control.
Let us collectively strive towards achieving zero dengue-related deaths by 2030, together we can create a healthier and safer future for all. For more information about the 7th Asia Dengue Summit, visit https://www.asiadenguesummit.org/.
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