PHNOM PENH -- The National Center for Parasitology, Entomology and Malaria Control issued a report on Tuesday revealing that 39,290 dengue fever cases have been reported during the first ten months of 2012, representing a 163% rise from the 14,918 cases during the same period in 2011. According to the report, the mosquito-borne disease has killed 170 Cambodian children from January to October this year, up by 154% from 67 fatalities last year. According to Dr. Char Meng Chuor, the director of the agency, there were more fatal cases this year because sick children were brought by parents to private clinics first. If the treatment fails and the illness has already worsened, that's the only time that the children are taken to state hospitals, but it is often too late for the patients to be properly treated. Dengue fever is transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. It is viral and leads to an acute disease of sudden onset which typically follows signs and symptoms like fever, headache, malaise, rash, muscle and joint pain, vomiting and swollen glands. Dr. Char added that in order to avert an outbreak, they had distributed 320 tons of Abate to families across the country. Abate is a chemical used to eliminate mosquito larvae in stagnant water. In Cambodia, the dengue outbreak normally starts at the beginning of the rainy season - from May until October. ubAlert