So far this year the mosquito – borne disease has sickened 80,000 people across the country, 59 of whom have died, said the Health Ministry’s Department of Preventive Health.
Children with dengue fever are treated at HCMC Children Hospital No.2 (Photo: SGGP)
Although the number of infected people this year decreased 6.3 percent as compared to last year, the dengue fever situation still is complicated and at risk of spreading on a large scale, said the Health Ministry.
The worst affected region was the southern provinces with 43,844 cases.
Meanwhile, health officials from the central region and central highlands have reported an increase of 168% in cases with 21,638 infected people.
Dengue is decreasing in Hanoi and northern provinces but dengue among adults is often accompanied by unexpected complications.
The ministry says dengue virus type D1 accounts for 74 percent of the cases nationwide. It predicts that the epidemic will continue into November with many complications, and is asking all localities to take urgent steps to curb the spread of the disease.
The municipal health department is trying to clean up the ‘hot spots’ and will spray chemicals to prevent the disease on a large scale.
The Preventive Medicine Department said it was working with relevant agencies to take preventive measures in key localities since early this year, focusing on cleaning the environment and killing mosquitoes.
Dengue is found in tropical and sub-tropical climates worldwide, mostly in urban and semi-urban areas. Dengue haemorrhagic fever is a leading cause of serious illness and death among children in some Asian countries.
