Indonesia Urges Stronger ASEAN Collaboration to Tackle Dengue Threat

5 hours ago 9

February 14, 2026 | 12:41 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - As dengue cases continue to threaten public health, Indonesia has called for deeper regional collaboration among ASEAN member states to tackle the issue.

“Dengue infections in the ASEAN region remain a public health concern. Therefore, cooperation among ASEAN countries is important to reinforce dengue control efforts,” said Prima Yosephine, the Director of Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health, during the Southeast Asia Regional Forum for Dengue Prevention and Control in Jakarta on Monday, February 9, 2026.

More than half of the global dengue burden comes from Southeast Asia, attributed to rising urbanization, population mobility, and climate impact on the aedes aegypti mosquito habitat.

The forum discussed effective control strategies to combat the complexity of dengue transmission in the region. "Dengue knows no administrative or national boundaries. When one country experiences a surge in cases, other countries are at risk. Therefore, a regional approach is crucial," said Prima.

The forum provided a strategic platform to align policies between ASEAN member countries, as each state has its own set of challenges. Prima emphasized that the target of zero dengue-related deaths by 2030 can only be achieved through cross-sectoral and cross-border collaboration.

The regional forum concluded with an agreement to continue technical discussions and formulate further collaboration agendas, including data exchange and best practices, as a collective effort to alleviate the dengue burden in Southeast Asia.

How Does Southeast Asia Fare with Dengue Cases?

Niti Haetanurak, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Disease Control at the Thai Ministry of Public Health, explained that Thailand has recorded sharp fluctuations in dengue cases over the past decade. In 2023, Thailand reported more than 150 thousand dengue cases, with the highest surge occurring in urban areas and densely populated regions.

Regional Forum: Advancing Collaboration on Dengue Prevention and Control at the JW Marriott Hotel, South Jakarta, February 9, 2026

The Thai government then strengthened a community-based surveillance system by deploying over a million health volunteers tasked with monitoring conditions and reporting potential outbreaks.

A different approach was presented by Ms. Poh Quicin, Deputy of the Communicable Diseases Agency in Singapore. She explained that Singapore has been implementing systemic dengue control since the 1960s, with strict environmental regulations and law enforcement against cleanliness violations.

But new challenges emerged from the long-term success, such as low population immunity level, resulting in major outbreaks. To address this, Singapore developed an integrated One Health approach and Project Wolbachia, which involves releasing male Aedes mosquitoes carrying the Wolbachia bacteria to suppress the mosquitoes' reproductive capabilities.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has strengthened epidemiological surveillance to reduce the number of dengue cases, increasing the capacity of healthcare providers in severe dengue management, and a community-based vector control approach. The Vietnamese government also actively involved local governments in eradicating mosquito breeding sites and educating the public.

From the Philippines, Ian Christopher N. Rotha, Medical Officer III at the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau of the Department of Health Philippines, stated that dengue remains a serious public health challenge in their country. The Philippines faces a combination of complex risk factors, including population density, rapid urbanization, and high rainfall due to climate change. This creates an ideal environment for mosquito breeding.

According to Rotha, the Philippines strengthened its early warning system for dengue through facility-based and community surveillance. Rotha emphasized that the exchange of experiences among ASEAN countries is crucial, considering the shared structural challenges of dengue in the region.

GHAEIZA KAY RASUFFI

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