Director Tang Chi Thuong of the HCMC Health Department yesterday informed that last week, HCMC recorded a staggering 12,013 dengue fever cases, marking it as the region with the highest incidence in the southern part of Vietnam (accounting for 25 percent of the total cases).
To more effectively combat against the disease in the remaining months of the year, the municipal Department of Health has sent a formal dispatch asking all health centers at district and ward levels to thoroughly investigate, treat, and eradicate dengue fever cases and outbreaks.
These clinics have also been instructed to closely monitor the disease's progression and take prompt and practical measures to prevent further spread.
District and ward People's Committees have been urged to vigorously implement disease prevention and control activities, including intensifying communication campaigns and imposing administrative penalties for violations.
Meanwhile, relevant departments and agencies in HCMC have been tasked with proactively implementing dengue prevention measures within their respective organizations and areas of management.
In related news, the Dong Nai Province Center for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a significant increase in measles cases over the past week (November 15-21), with 488 confirmed cases requiring hospitalization. These cases were concentrated in the districts of Nhon Trach, Cam My, Long Thanh, Trang Bom, Thong Nhat, and Long Khanh city.
This represents the highest number of measles cases reported since the beginning of 2024, bringing the total number of cases to 2,381, including one fatality. The center has urged residents, particularly children aged 9 to 10 months, who have not been fully vaccinated against measles to get vaccinated at local health clinics or vaccination centers.
On November 24, the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) confirmed that a 5-year-old child from Thach Lam Commune of Bao Lam District in Cao Bang Province had tested positive for Corynebacterium diphtheriae, the bacteria that causes diphtheria.
The patient showed signs of coughing and high temperature from November 14, yet still continued to go to school. After a week of unsuccessfully curing the symptoms, the patient was taken to Bao Lam District Health Center, seeking professional medical treatment. The child unfortunately succumbed to the disease.
In response to this confirmed case, the Cao Bang Province Department of Health has dispatched a working group to collaborate with Cao Bang Provincial Hospital and provide support to Bao Lam District Health Center in preventing and controlling the diphtheria outbreak.
