Drastic and synchronous measures are needed to control dengue fever outbreak in Vietnam, heard a teleconference on July 24^th.

Tran Dac Phu, Director of the Preventive Medicine Department under the Ministry of Health (MoH) said Vietnam has recorded an annual average of 50,000-100,000 dengue fever cases in recent years, with 50-100 fatalities.

In the first seven months of 2017, the country reported 58,888 cases. Of which, 50,496 were hospitalised, up 12.6 per cent compared to the same period of 2016 and 17 deaths, up from 14.

At present, 61 cities and provinces have recorded dengue infections, mostly in Hanoi, Thanh Hoa, Quang Nam, Binh Duong, Tra Vinh and Tay Ninh, he said.

Illustrative image. (Source: VNA)

Dengue fever cases in the Mekong Delta increased by 125 per cent in the first 15 days of July 2017 compared with the same period last year.

An Giang province alone recorded the highest number of 120 hospitalised cases in the first ten days of this month, followed by Soc Trang province with 110 cases and Dong Thap province, 100 cases.

Statistics show that Can Tho Paediatrics Hospital treated 1,290 cases of dengue fever so far this year, up 23.68 per cent year-on-year. Of them, 450 patients hail from Can Tho city, with the remainder from 12 cities and provinces in the Mekong Delta.

During the first half of July, the hospital treated 165 dengue patients, a rise of 125 percent against the corresponding time last year.

Notable, dengue fever has increased sharply this year among children aged between 10-15 in the Mekong Delta, especially in Can Tho city.

Given the situation, the Health Ministry has sent seven inspection teams to hotspots, launched campaigns to kill mosquito larva and opened treatment training courses for health workers, he added.

MoH Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien suggested increasing vigilance over diseases, including dengue fever, during and after the flood season.

The main priority now is raising public awareness of dengue prevention and keeping the living environment clean, she said.

The boom in infections is due to weather conditions in the early rainy season, which are favourable for the development of mosquitoes.

Dengue fever was previously recorded only in the rainy season. However, it now occurs year-round due to climate change and out-of -season rains.

Dengue fever is transmitted by mosquitoes carrying the virus. Its symptoms include high fever, headaches and joint aches, which can be confused with symptoms of other diseases.

The disease has potentially dangerous complications such as shock, respiratory failure, coagulation, liver damage and altered mental status, and can be fatal.

According to the World Health Organisation, dengue is spreading in many countries worldwide. Each year, worldwide, about 20 million people contract dengue and some 500,000 are hospitalised./.

VNF/VNA