I looked and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him.  They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Cambodia’s Ministry of Health says at least 72 Cambodian children died from dengue fever in 2011, an increase of 89%, compared to 2010.  Total number of dengue cases in Cambodia were up 26% in 2011 (15,805 cases that were reported to government officials).

“The disease broke out in a large scale every three to five years and the year 2011 was the large scale breakout, that’s why the cases were on the rise and the deaths were almost double.”-Ngan Chantha, Cambodia’s Ministry of Health

Cambodia spent U.S.$7 million fighting dengue in 2011.

Pakistan was hit hard by dengue in 2011 (never mind attacks from the Pakistani Taliban and the ungrateful government of the United States!).  By October 2011, more than 6,000 Pakistanis got sick, and at least 253 died.

The cold winter is not having any affect on the mosquitoes in Pakistan.  Contrary to the hopes of officials, two people died on December 31, after being bit by mosquitoes in freezing temperatures.

Pakistan’s Health Secretary, Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan, has ordered a mosquito spraying offensive, that must be completed before February 10, 2012.

One Pakistani doctor said they are launching an anti-dengue campaign “on the pattern of the polio campaign”.  Health officials will go door to door explaining to people how to prevent dengue by fighting mosquitoes.  They also hope to have a computer system in place that will let hospitals and clinics share information about incoming dengue cases.

In Borneo, officials are so concerned about dengue for 2012 that dengue awareness and prevention classes are now part of grade school education.

In Sri Lanka, officials reported a jump in dengue cases in December 2011;  290 cases in December, 170 in November.  One official said it doesn’t take much water for the dengue carrying mosquitoes to breed: “…this mosquito can breed in one teaspoonful of water!”-Pradeep Kariyawasam, Chief Medical Officer of the Colombo Municipal Council

On the island of Fiji (east of New Zealand), officials are now concerned about the general public, because of an outbreak of dengue in their prisons: “The symptoms of dengue fever are similar to those of normal flu but with joint pains and high fever. But people should not stay home and instead seek immediate medical attention.”-Peni Namotu, Fiji Health Ministry

Closer to the United States, Mexico reported great advances in their fight against dengue, which included testing of vaccines.  In several Mexican states, cases of dengue had dropped by as much as 80%, compared to 2010.

But fighting dengue is not that easy. In December, the University of California at Berkeley released the results of their study, which showed that surviving an initial case of dengue fever does not mean your body can survive a second infection.

The problem is that there are four major types of dengue viruses, and your body’s immune system might be lulled into a false sense of security: “With the second infection, the antibodies sort of recognize the new type of viruses, but not well enough to clear them from the system.  Instead of neutralizing the viruses, the antibodies bind to them in a way that actually helps them invade the immune system’s other cells and spread.”-Molly OhAinle, UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health.

The results of the study were published in the December 21 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

Check my other postings about dengue fever.