Pour en savoir un peu plus: Dengue deaths sweeping
Cambodia highlight healthcare failures
Thu Jun 28, 4:50 AM
.
Since January more than 9, 600 Cambodian children under the age of 15 have been hospitalised with dengue, with 132 of them succumbing to the mosquito born illness, which punishes its victims with fever, vomiting and crippling muscle pain.
The most serious cases result in heavy bleeding as blood vessels disintegrate, and can quickly kill children.
Compared to last year's total of 6, 149 cases and 158 deaths, "this year is much worse, " says Ngan Chantha, director in the health ministry's dengue programme.
He said the country needed foreign help in containing the virus because
Cambodia lacks the resources to counter the outbreak, but no official requests had yet been made.
"Almost all provinces have been hit by dengue fever, " he said. "Some in a large scale. We are working to counter the virus but we need more help."
"The total level of public financing for health is simply too low, " the World Bank said in its 2007 equality and development report, which found that rural Cambodians still lacked significant access to healthcare.
The government spent only four dollars per person on health expenditures in 2006, the World Bank said, while Cambodian health officials admit that paediatric care is especially thin.
"We have not enough health care services for children -- it is still at a limited level, " says Mam Bun Heng, a secretary of state with the health ministry.
.
AFP Photo:
A nurse checks dengue fever patients at Krouch Chhmar health center in
Kampong Cham province,...
