Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the WHO ASEAN Workshop on Priority Actions for Dengue Prevention and Control.
This workshop is important and timely.
The workshop is important because dengue is an increasing public health problem.
It causes significant morbidity and mortality.
An estimated 2.5 billion people live in dengue-endemic countries and are at risk of being infected with dengue. More than 70% of these people live in the Asia Pacific region.
The epidemiology of dengue is changing.
In the past, it was mostly a disease of children.
But now many countries are seeing a shift to younger adults with resultant socio-economic impact.
The importation of new serotypes into naïve populations as a result of international travel is a further concern.
This workshop is timely because dengue season will soon be upon us once again.
There has been an increasing frequency and magnitude of outbreaks, even in countries with intensive prevention and control measures.
In addition, deaths due to dengue continue to be reported.
I strongly believe we need to raise the profile of dengue.
Last year, at the sixty-first session of the Regional Committee for the Western Pacific, I called onhealth ministers to demonstrate strong leadership and commitment in the fight against dengue.
I called for greater advocacy and investment, as well as better clinical management of dengue cases.
Dengue prevention and control is an intersectoral issue.
It is not just an issue for the health sector.
National resources need to be mobilized and better regional collaboration is required.
We are prepared to support countries in their prevention and control efforts.
I was very pleased to note the commitment to tackling dengue expressed by many health ministers in the Western Pacific Region.
An example of strong political commitment is the designation by ASEAN of 15 June 2011 as Dengue Day.
The first such Dengue Day will be observed this year launching an annual advocacy campaign for the prevention and control of dengue at regional and national levels.
Ladies and gentlemen, you are here to collaborate and to identify priority actions for dengue prevention and control.
The Dengue Strategic Plan for the Asia Pacific Region (2008–2015) was developed by Member States to focus on prevention and control efforts.
Now is the time to translate the strategy into concrete action.
Systems that can prevent transmission, detect cases early, and effectively manage patients with dengue will help to reduce the associated morbidity, mortality and socio-economic impact.
Strong capacity in surveillance and response is therefore a critical factor for effective prevention and control.
I encourage you to select technically sound priority actions — actions that are practical and that can be sustained.
I also encourage you to reach agreement on how these actions can be implemented in countries.
We need community action as well as action by government leaders and international organizations to support the dissemination and implementation of the key messages and actions identified during this workshop.
The fight against dengue is everyone's concern.
Thank you very much.
Have a pleasant stay in Manila.