Ministry of Health officials yesterday urged parents to take responsibility for protecting their children from dengue fever after the deaths of two children from the disease so far this year.

Cheamon Thavy, director of dengue fever health education at the National Centre for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control at the Ministry of Health, said that some people do not follow health officials’ advice.

“[It is] hard to find a strategy to make them cooperate with us and due to this, a 5-year-old boy named Roeurn from Kandal province and 10-year-old Huon Sreyleak from Takeo province died from dengue fever this year,” said Cheamon Thavy.

Ngan Chantha, director of the National Anti-Dengue programme at the Ministry of Health, said that parents must protect their children from the disease.

“[Parents] must … monitor the environment around their home like rubbish, old tyres, coconut shells, cans or larvae and if there are those things around their home, they should spend time to clean it,” said Ngan Chantha.

According to the National Anti-Dengue programme, Phnom Penh, Kandal, Siem Reap, Kampot, Kampong Cham and Banteay Meanchey provinces are the most heavily affected by dengue fever.

Ou Sopha, program director for combating dengue fever at the Kandal provincial health department, said that the national authority would distribute the insecticide Abate within the six most infectious provinces.

According to the National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control there have been 231 cases of dengue fever in the first three months of this year resulting in two deaths, compared with 193 cases resulting in one death over the same period last year.