Ministry: Chikungunya and Covid remain under control
HEALTH officia ls said on Tuesday that Cambodia has taken control of the chikungunya outbrea k in the countr y and that imported Covid-19 cases had been ef fectively treated wit h no f urt her cases recorded in the Kingdom.
They mentioned that there have been no Covid-19 outbreaks within Cambodia’s borders.
Ministry spokesperson Or Vandine said the prevention of epidemics, including Covid-19 and chikungunya, was due to the cooperation of health officials and authorities across the country.
She said they have done their best to assist in health screening and contact tracing as well as to develop measures to prevent the spread of disease in Cambodia.
Kandal Provincial Department of Health director Kuy Bunthoeun told The Post on Tuesday that the outbreak of chikungunya in Lvea Em and Kien Svay districts and others was mild and there were almost no more patients left.
“Now, there are no more cases because we have advised people when they have symptoms, they should go to receive treatment at a health centre,” he said.
The disease is similar to dengue fever. It can’t be stopped, only contained, Bunthoeun said.
Oddar Meanchey prov incial Department of Health director Khlok Huot told The Post on Tuesday t hat t he situation i n the prov ince had improved. Workers had continued to apply t he anti-dengue lar v icide Abate i n at-risk areas and spray mosquito repellent.
“It is declining in my province, with only about 10 cases per month. I believe that in other provinces, there may be a similar decrease because at the moment it cannot go higher as we have deployed anti-dengue larvicide everywhere that is suspected of having chikungunya,” Huot said.
On September 27, the ministry said since the first outbreak of chikungunya in Banteay Meanchey province’s Poipet town in July, nearly 6,000 people have been suspected to have the disease in 21 provinces and Phnom Penh. The ministry said 94 per cent of patients had been cured.
As of t he start of October, 280 cases of Covid-19 had been detected. Of that number 276 patients had been cured and four remained hospita lised, said t he ministr y’s daily report.
It a lso said on Tuesday t hat another Covid-19 patient had been cured and discharged from t he hospita l after testing negative t wice.
The patient was a 28-year-old Chinese national who had travelled to Cambodia from the Philippines via South Korea on September 27. The ministry did not report any new Covid cases since then.