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Good morning and welcome to this important dengue risk communication workshop, to coincide with ASEAN Dengue Day on 15 June, this Saturday.
Amongst other things, ASEAN Dengue Day is commemorated every year to help increase public awareness of dengue. However, we all know that awareness alone is not enough – people need to know what actions to take, but also, we need to motivate them to take these actions. Which is where effective dengue risk communication comes in.
This workshop is timely as we move towards the ‘traditional’ dengue season in Viet Nam, usually July to October.
However, as we have seen over the past few years in Viet Nam, and in other parts of the world, warmer weather and changes in rainfall – because of climate change – are altering ‘traditional’ dengue seasons and even where dengue ‘traditionally’ occurs.
We know that dengue remains a significant public health issue worldwide and in Viet Nam. Here in Viet Nam, more than 360,000 cases were reported in the 2022 dengue outbreak, and tragically, 140 people lost their lives. Cases and deaths in 2022 were five times higher than those in 2021.
In 2023, there were over 166,000 reported dengue cases, including 42 deaths; and given the clinical presentation of the disease, we know that the actual number of cases is always likely to be much higher.
In 2024, we have seen cases in many parts of the country even before the ‘traditional’ dengue season has started.
Dengue has a profound impact on individuals, families and communities, as well as on health-care facilities, public health security, and the economy.
And climate change will continue to put even more people at risk of dengue.
So, it is critical to have strong risk communication that is adaptable, data driven and connects with the right audiences to improve public awareness and encourage community and individual action for dengue prevention and control.
To help with this, WHO Viet Nam has supported an assessment so we can determine the current needs and gaps in dengue risk communication, and better understand people’s knowledge and attitudes towards dengue prevention.
These assessments and this workshop have been driven by WHO’s Communication for Health – or C4H – approach, which is focused on health impact. This approach aims to use more evidence and data to inform communication and ensure that the right people are reached and motivated to take the right action.
These assessments were conducted in collaboration with Pasteur Institute Nha Trang and the Institute of Environmental Health and Sustainable Development (IEHSD), with support from provincial CDCs, departments of health, local authorities and community leaders, from across selected sites in Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh and Quang Nam province.
Today, the Pasteur Institute Nha Trang and the Institute of Environmental Health and Sustainable Development will share their methods, analysis and key findings. This important work will contribute to delivering more effective and targeted dengue prevention activities for the 2024 dengue season and beyond.
I’m looking forward to hearing more about the findings. We also welcome input from the workshop participants, and development partners.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our key supporters of this assessment work, GIZ. Like with all health challenges, we can best succeed in protecting and saving lives if we work in collaboration with others – so thank you, GIZ.
In closing, I would like to commend the ongoing work done by the Ministry of Health and provincial health departments and CDCs. We look forward to continuing to work together in this challenging environment to develop and implement robust risk communication into the future.
I wish everyone a productive dengue risk communication workshop.
Xin cảm ơn!