The Lao government announced on Monday the release of 2 billion kip (about $250,000) to combat the spread of dengue fever in the country, local media reported.

Director General of the Communicable Disease Control Department of the Lao Ministry of Health Dr. Bounlay Phommasack said that in the first six months of this year 20,367 infections, with 64 deaths, were reported. Given the normal increase in infections across the rainy season due to more rampant mosquito breeding, there is concern that the disease may reach epidemic proportions.

The Lao Ministry of Health has also decided to assign final- year medical students from the Lao National University as well as students from health colleges throughout the country to help treat hospitalized patients.

The Lao government called on all communities to work on reducing the spread of dengue fever, as the virus continues to cause fatalities nationwide. Dengue kills 20,000 people every year out of some 500,000-1 million people who have been infected worldwide, with 75 percent of them in Asia and Pacific.

The dengue virus is particularly threatening to the young, the elderly, and the immune-compromised. There is no vaccine for the mosquito borne disease, symptoms of which include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a distinctive skin rash.