Six regional organizations have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation on dengue prevention and control across Asia. The agreement was announced at the 9th Asia Dengue Summit, coinciding with ASEAN Dengue Day and the first World Health Organization-recognized World Dengue Day.
Growing Threat of Dengue
The partnership comes at a critical time as countries face growing mosquito populations, rising dengue risks, and increasing case numbers, driven in part by climate change and urbanization in the region. The MoU establishes a regional framework for knowledge-sharing, advocacy, and coordinated dengue action among advocacy groups, community organizations, and public health stakeholders.
Collaborative Framework
Participating organizations will collaborate on public education, regional advocacy, and the exchange of outbreak insights and community-based approaches. They will also explore joint publications, policy recommendations, regional awareness campaigns, educational resources, and digital knowledge-sharing platforms to support more coordinated dengue action across Asia.
Signatories to the MoU
The signatories include the Asia Dengue Voice and Action Group (ADVA), the Philippines Empowering Networks to Defeat Dengue Coalition (END Dengue), Dengue Prevention Advocacy Malaysia (DPAM), Indonesia's Kobar Lawan Dengue, the Singapore Dengue Alliance, and the International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases (ISNTD). ADVA will facilitate engagement on emerging insights, common challenges, and explore opportunities for collective action.
Expert Perspectives
Professor Tikki Pangestu, Advisor to ADVA and Visiting Professor at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, emphasized that sustainable progress requires a holistic approach combining surveillance, vector control, clinical management, community education, and vaccination. He stressed the importance of learning from each other's experiences to accelerate the adoption of evidence-based strategies and move closer to the goal of zero dengue deaths.
Professor Ooi Eng Eong from Duke-NUS Medical School noted that while advances in surveillance, vector control, and vaccination have expanded what countries can do, progress remains uneven. The next challenge is implementation: ensuring these advances are used consistently, sustained beyond outbreak periods, and translated into measurable public health impact. He highlighted that achieving zero dengue deaths by 2030 will require critical efforts.
Associate Professor Ng Lee Ching, Group Director of the Environmental Health Institute at the National Environment Agency Singapore, pointed out that dengue control cannot rely on a single intervention or agency. Singapore's experience shows that sustained surveillance, clinical management, vector control, public awareness, and community participation all play important roles. Maintaining a multi-sectoral effort consistently over time remains critical, even outside major outbreak periods.
Summit Details
The 9th Asia Dengue Summit runs from 15 to 17 June, bringing together stakeholders from across the dengue control ecosystem to bridge the gap between scientific progress and real-world impact. Discussions will cover dengue policy, scientific innovation, vector control, vaccine implementation, and youth engagement initiatives such as the Dengue Slayers Challenge.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Guest of Honour Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment and Education, Singapore, along with ambassadors and diplomatic representatives from Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.
For more information about the 9th Asia Dengue Summit or to access resources on dengue prevention and advocacy, visit the official summit website or ADVA's website.
About ADVA
Asia Dengue Voice and Action (ADVA) is a scientific working group dedicated to dengue vaccine advocacy in Asia. Its aim is to disseminate information and make recommendations on dengue vaccine introduction strategies in the region. The group has formulated recommendations to translate the science of dengue vaccination into messages for policymakers, the general public, and healthcare workers.
