Deadly dengue outbreak overwhelms central Vietnam

More than 62,000 people in the central provinces of Vietnam have infected with deadly dengue fever in ten months of the year, a threefold increase compared to the same period last year. Worse, eight people died of the disease.
Many inpatients lie in a makeshift bed in the balcony of Dong Hoi Hospital (Photo: SGGP)
Many inpatients lie in a makeshift bed in the balcony of Dong Hoi Hospital (Photo: SGGP)
Nowadays, dengue fever occurs year-round in the country.
The Infection Department of the General Hospital in Dong Hoi Town of Quang Binh admitted nearly 200 dengue inpatients though it has 29 beds.
Director of the Preventive Medicine Center in Quang Binh Dr. Do Quoc Tiep said that all communes in the province have reported outbreaks of dengue infecting 10,370 residents and killing three people. Inpatients had to share bed because of patient overload.
Director of the Vinh Duc General Hospital in Quang Nam Province said that the disease has developed complicatedly this year. Some 150 patients a day have been admitted to the hospital. Critically, more serious patients have been hospitalized as weather is unpredictable and the preventive medicine sector has not done well in dengue prevention task.
Since the beginning of the year, Binh Dinh Province has become “hot spot” of dengue when infection cases keep escalating with 1,300 infected people and clinics have seen patients overload.
58 year old Tran Van Nghia residing in Tam Quan Bac Commune expressed his worry as his six neighbors have been hospitalized.
The Department of Preventive Medicine said that all dengue prevention measures have been applied but infection cases have still increased. Moreover, there has been no vaccine or any specific medicine to treat dengue while there have been more construction sites – an ideal place for mosquitos to lay eggs in.
Medical students and clinics arrived in each household in Thua Thien – Hue to advise people to kill mosquito and clean up places where mosquitos lay eggs in as well as clear brushes.
Dengue, which causes flu-like symptoms, can be deadly if it develops into a hemorrhagic fever. There is no vaccine or any specific medicine to treat dengue, according to the World Health Organization.

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