Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the trends of dengue hemorrhagic fever on
the disease’s occurrence and its association with ambient temperature, rainfall and relative humidity. Information was collected retrospectively from secondary data related to the occurrence of dengue hemorrhagic fever and meteorological data, reported from January 1, 1996 to December 31, 2006. Data were presented in frequency, and an association
was analyzed with cross-sectional time-series regression. The results revealed that the
rate of dengue hemorrhagic fever varied from 120.62 to 277.6 per 100,000 population between epidemic years. There was a tendency for the population to be affected by the
disease every two to five years. Ambient temperature, rainfall and relative humidity
were positively associated with the occurrence of the disease (p<0.001, p<0.001 and
p<0.001, respectively).
Based on the results of this study, the author would like to suggest that the Ministry
of Public Health should continuously increase the people’s awareness of the occurrence
of dengue hemorrhagic fever. The provincial health office should coordinate with the
provincial meteorological center, requesting meteorological data related to dengue hemorrhagic fever for preparation of early warning systems for the prevention and control
program.
