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9 deaths recorded as health authorities seek to suppress seasonal dengue spike in Laos

Xinhua, August 10, 2016 Adjust font size:

Infections with the mosquito-borne dengue virus have led to a reported nine deaths from 2,300 confirmed cases in Laos during the country's ongoing rainy season, the country's Ministry of Health confirmed to local media Wednesday.

The southern Lao province of Champassak recorded to highest toll nationwide, with some 7 deaths recorded from more than 1,000 reported cases, according to a statement from the Emerging Disease Surveillance Unit, Lao News Agency KPL reported.

Provinces of Borikhamxay and Saravan each reported a single fatality from 300 and 96 reported infection cases respectively.

Lao capital Vientiane saw 148 reported cases of infection, representing a decrease on the same time during the previous year.

Clearance of potential mosquito breeding sites including emptying reservoirs of stagnant water and distributing larvae eating guppy fish are among the strategies adopted by health authorities across the Southeast Asian country as they seek to engage public assistance and bolster efforts to prevent the further spread of the virus among the population of some 6.5 million.

Bordered by China's province of Yunnan as well as its more populous Southeast Asian neighbours Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, Laos is considered an increasingly important contributor to efforts to prevent regional outbreaks of viruses and infectious diseases including dengue, polio and avian influenza. Enditem