Bangkok, 28 October 2022 — Takeda (Thailand) Limited, a global biopharmaceutical company and Kao Industrial (Thailand) Co., Ltd., a leading manufacturer of consumer and chemical products joined hands to combat one of the country’s pressing endemic priorities by signing the Thailand Dengue Prevention and Control Memorandum of Understanding. This is the first long-term collaboration between the two private sector parties to be conducted on a national scale.
The Thailand Dengue Prevention and Control Memorandum of Understanding will advance the private sector’s support by tapping into wider communities. This collaboration aims to cover all 50 districts in Bangkok and extend to other provinces nationwide. The signing ceremony was honored by the presence of His Excellency Mr Kazuya Nashida, Ambassador of Japan to Thailand, and Mr Chadchart Sittipunt, Bangkok Governor, marking the significance of the occasion.
“The number of Dengue cases in Bangkok is rising significantly, in the first 10 months of 2022, there have been more than 30,000 confirmed cases1, unfortunately some of them lost their lives from this disease. Bangkok is one of the highest infected areas due to its diverse landscape consisting of high-rise buildings, condominiums, and parks, and high population density. I am hopeful that this collaboration from the private sector will help raise awareness and effectively roll out the campaign to wider areas. This vector-borne disease is impacting the health and safety of our residents, health volunteers, healthcare workers, our economy, and the well-being of everyone involved. It is an urgent matter that requires all the support we can get,” said Mr Chadchart Sittipunt, Bangkok Governor.
“Dengue fever is an infectious disease that is spread by mosquitoes. It has been a major societal problem for Thailand and Southeast Asia countries for many years. Kao has formally initiated a so-called “GUARD OUR FUTURE” project, to save future lives from mosquitoes, which includes awareness-raising activities relating to Dengue fever. Kao and Takeda have been working closely on joint effort activities including rolling out Dengue Education Roadshow in schools with a strong support from Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Those two companies have now come together with the shared purpose and goal of protecting the future of children from the threat of Dengue. We are truly delighted and proud to be working together as a team beyond the framework of companies, sectors, and countries for the benefit of people in Thailand,” said Mr Yuji Shimizu, President, Kao Industrial (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
“Dengue disease can appear in many forms, from only mild symptoms to severe conditions and in some cases can be life threatening. The burden of dengue disease can place an immense pressure on people, their families, and the healthcare system. Forging a partnership with Kao will help us to create a positive change in the prevention and control of dengue within Thailand. This partnership will also support our ongoing collaboration with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and beyond as we are working towards protecting millions of lives from Dengue.” said Mr Peter Streibl, General Manager, Takeda (Thailand) Limited.
In August this year, Takeda and Kao rolled out the Dengue Roadshow under the theme ‘Dengue: a life-threatening emergency and a silent scourge among everyone’ with an aim to educate and raise awareness on the risks of Dengue fever throughout Bangkok communities. Following the ‘ASEAN Dengue Day’, which falls on 15 June, an awareness about the Dengue fever was raised nationwide through this event that provided a comprehensive approach on how to control and prevent dengue fever outbreaks among village health volunteers. The roadshow was designed to empower Bangkok Health Volunteers and campaign for Dengue awareness. This was part of the strategy driven by the Dengue-Zero Memorandum of Understanding, an alliance of 11 partners from the public and private sectors formed earlier this year, while Kao supported the access to address and identify potential Dengue cases to strengthen disease prevention.
