Dengue Awareness Campaign

This Dengue Awareness Campaign is organized by Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS), University Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) in collaboration with a multi-national pharmaceutical company, Sanofi Pasteur, to promote and educate the public awareness towards Dengue and its complications. Sanofi Pasteur is a world leader in production of high quality human vaccines and has produced vaccines for 20 infectious viral and bacterial diseases such as diphtheria, Hepatitis A and B, meningitis, polio, tetanus, and whooping cough disease.

Being a tropical country, Malaysia faces more frequent and heavy rain in the second half of each year, and this weather provides suitable environment for mosquitoes to breed. Therefore, knowledge on prevention and handling of potential mosquito breeding ground is crucial to stay safe from Aedes mosquitoes. In this campaign, there will be educational talks given by experts as well as booths from sponsors to stop by and have fun while learning about the diseases and prevention.

The followings are the detail of this campaign:

Event         : Dengue Awareness Campaign (Agendas are enclosed)
Date           : 16 January 2017 (Monday)
Time           : 9.00am – 4.00pm
Venue         : Multi-purpose Hall, KA block, UTAR, Sungai Long Campus
Admission  : Free

What do we know?

Dengue Fever (DF) develop when an individual is infected by Dengue virus. This virus is spread by day-biting mosquitoes; namely Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus [1]. Four serotypes of Dengue viruses had been identified; which are known as DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4 [1, 2]. Dengue virus infection usually goes unnoticed, and it is only recognizable when there is sudden onset of fever accompanied by several symptoms such as headache, pain to the eye, abdominal pain, nausea, muscle and joint pain [2]. These symptoms could take up to minimum of three days after infections to manifest and the incubation period of these viruses are within 3 – 14 days [2]. 

Why is it dangerous?

Dengue virus infections could progress from non-lethal Dengue Fever to lethal conditions known as Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) and Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) [3, 4]. According to World Health Organization's (WHO) Dengue Case Classification 1997, patient is diagnosed with DHF when there is evidence of plasma leakage from blood vessel with or without shock syndrome (DSS) that is defined by circulatory failure symptoms of clammy skin with rapid, weak, and narrow pulse pressure [5]. Both stringent classifications are then grouped together and classified as Severe Dengue after revision in 2009 due to overlapping of symptoms between the two states based on reports from around the world [5]. Currently, there are no specific mean to cure individuals from these viruses after infection, and the currently available counter-measure against Dengue is to initiate intravascular volume replacement therapy [2]. This supportive therapy only replenishes the loss of bodily fluid caused by the infection in echange for time so that the body immune system can build immunity against the invading virus [4].

Surviving first Dengue Fever: Are we safe now?

The lethality of Dengue virus does not end with recovery from the first infection. Recovery from the first infection do build up immunity against Dengue virus, but this long-lasting immunity is specific to the serotype which causes the first Dengue fever. Second infection by the same viral serotype will be nullified by the acquired immunity, but if it is caused by any of the other three serotypes may induces greater severity of illness with higher mortality risk [2]. The exact causes of this severe response is not well understood, but it has been documented that recovery from the second infection reduces risk of severe illness from subsequent infection due to acquisition of non-specific immunity [2]. 

Do drop by to our venue and have fun while catching up with knowledge to fend off the mosquitoes in this rainy seasons!

Limited free door gift and goodies bags will be given!