Dengue fever patients have been recorded in all corners of the country; however, Southern Vietnam has seen most cases with 85 per cent of the country's patient total, said a representative from the Ministry of Health (MOH) at a national meeting on ASEAN Dengue Day in Ho Chi Minh City yesterday held by MOH.
Infection cases and fatalities from dengue fever recorded for years dramatically decreased compared to previous years; yet the rate is still high and it is likely to have an outbreak of the disease.
At the meeting the Ministry of Health called on people to help the country prevent the spread of dengue fever. A representative from the Ministry of Health urged citizens to spend 10 minutes every day for checking water containers and flower vases they owned and destroying all mosquito larvae they found.
Medical sector should spray chemicals to kill mosquitoes, said the ministry representative.
After the meeting, mobile vehicles traveled from HCMC to provinces and cities at high risk including Vinh Long, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Can Tho, Khanh Hoa, Da Nang, and Dak Lak to spread information of the disease and encourage people to destroy all mosquito larvae.
It was reported that there were around 3,000 people attending the meeting.
In the framework of the ASEAN Dengue Day, HCMC-based Pasteur Institute and Sanofi Pharmaceutical Company launched a competition of short documentary films themed “Joining hand to prevent dengue fever”. Its content will be screened on public buses in HCMC.
