By Hannah Koh
PREVENTION rather than cure will be on the minds of the 58 participants from 23 countries gathering in Singapore on Tuesday for the 2nd Asia-Pacific Dengue Workshop.
Held as part of a wider effort to respond to the serious dengue situation in the region, the workshop will focus on strengthening an integrated effort that focuses on preventive anti-dengue measures.
The nine-day workshop, which ends on Sept 8, gathers experts from World Health Organisation, Indonesia, France and Cuba.
It is organised by the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, WHO and National Environment Agency under the Singapore WHO Joint Training Programme.
Over the next few days, participants will seek to:
* build capacity and acquire relevant knowledge and skills in implementing key components of the national integrated dengue control-programmes.
* promote close collaboration among laboratory investigation field operations and clinical management and surveillance teams.
* encourage dengue laboratory surveillance network within the region.
* share clinical management guidelines and best practices for dengue.
The development of warning systems, coupled with constant surveillance and control of the situation even during inter-epidemic periods, could avert or lessen the impact of dengue outbreaks.
The workshop will also provide practical guidance to clinicians in the identification and management of patients infected with dengue.
Dengue continues to be a concern in the Asia Pacific region. In the last 10 years, there were 200,000 to 500,000 reported dengue cases, with an average of 2,000 deaths a year.
