South-East Asia Regional Conference on Epidemiology

<strong>South</strong>-<strong>East</strong> <strong>Asia</strong> <strong>Regional</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> on Epidemiology | 45
Fig. 2: Average annual number of dengue cases reported to WHO, 1955-2007
Expanding geographic
Distribution
Increased epidemic
activity
Hyperendemicity
Emergence of DHF
and increasing
Disease severity
Source: DengueNet
2007 data provisional
Number of cases
1200000
1000000
800000
600000
400000
200000
0
Average annual number of DF/DHF
cases reported to WHO, 1955-2007
908
15,497
122,174
295,554
479,848
968,564
1955-19591960-19691970-19791980-19891990-19992000-2007
Japanese encephalitis is strictly an <strong>Asia</strong>n disease and is the most important cause of encephalitis
in children in <strong>Asia</strong>, with an estimated 50 000 cases and 10 000 deaths every year. This disease also
began moving in the 1970s into Nepal, western India and then into Pakistan. It also spread into the
Pacific, the Philippines, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Australia (Fig. 3). The disease is fairly well
controlled in those countries that historically had high incidence, i.e. China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan,
China, through the use of an effective vaccine.
Pakistan
Fig. 3: Spread of Japanese Encephalitis (1978-2010)
Nepal
India Saipan
Sri Lanka
Phillipines
Papua New Guinea
Australia
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Number of countries