The Ministry of Health stated on July 3 that dengue fever and hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) was still rampant in many provinces nationwide.
Nguyen Van Binh, head of the Preventive Medicine Department, said the two diseases are rapidly spreading in the southern and central provinces. Ninh Binh in the North has reported the most number of cases with over 300 patients, 60 percent of who contracted the disease through the lethal virus strain EV 71.
The month of June alone recorded more than 1,758 dengue fever cases in 30 provinces and cities with three fatalities, bringing the total toll in the country to 17,510 with 14 deaths. Despite the high figure, the number has decreased 2.9 percent.
Medical workers fret about the hand-foot-mouth disease because of 40 related deaths in the first six months of the year. Yet the department said the South and Central provinces still reported younger patients were contracting the disease.
The department blamed parents and district medical workers of low awareness of HFMD which was causing these severe outbreaks.
