Dengue fever patients in the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases. (Photo: VNA) (VNS/VNA) – Hanoi is facing a high risk of an
outbreak of dengue fever with the number of cases in the city is on the rise,
tripled compared to the same period last year.
Data from the Hanoi’s Centre for Disease Control showed that the
city recorded 308 new cases over the past week, bringing the total number of
people infected this year to 1,342.
The total caseload is three times higher than the same period last
year, the centre said.
Cases have been mainly found in districts of Dong Da, Thuong Tin,
Thanh Tri, Thanh Oai, Phu Xuyen, Hoang Mai and Ba Dinh.
Than Manh Hung, deputy head of Emergency Department of the
National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said the hospital has treated many
patients with severe dengue fever.
Currently, the north region is in the peak period, especially in
rainy weather, he said.
Hung said people should be vigilant for disease prevention because
there is no vaccine for and no specific treatment.
In addition to preventing the spread of the virus, patients should
be closely monitored, especially in the severe stage of the disease, usually
starting from the fourth day onwards, he said.
At the period, the are susceptible to dengue shock, he
said.
Many people confuse symptoms of influenza with dengue or dengue
fever with COVID-19 so they might be negligent with the complications, he said.
If people have any symptoms such as fever, cough, body aches, they
should go to medical facilities to be examined and diagnosed so that if they
contract dengue fever, the doctor will monitor and treat them as soon as
possible, he said.
Disease prevention
According to a representative of the city’s Health Department, the
department will continue maintaining a task force to ensure that it is ready to
promptly respond to developments that could occur in the city.
The department has also directed relevant units to strengthen
monitoring patients in the community and to promptly handle with the
disease, the department said.
Along with that, it has tightened the monitoring of areas where
cases are recorded to prevent the spread of the disease, the department said.
Campaigns on environmental sanitation and killing larvae in high
risk areas will be immediately implemented, the department said.
Dissemination of preventing dengue fever has been promoted so that
people can proactively implement prevention measures at home, the department
said.
The Hanoi’s Centre for Disease Control has ordered local schools
to make plans to fight against diseases, focusing on high-risk diseases such as
dengue fever, COVID-19 and influenza.
Schools have been told to prepare facilities and medical equipment
to prevent the diseases according to regulations; and set up teams to kill
larvae.
Teachers and students at the schools are recommended to actively
implement environmental sanitation; practise personal hygiene measures such as
washing hands with soap and clean water, wearing masks, covering mouth when
coughing or sneezing, and not spitting indiscriminately.
The schools have to coordinate with local health centres to
quickly handling any possible cases.
To prevent dengue fever, the Ministry of Health urges people to
spend ten minutes a week to kill larvae and take preventive measures such as
regularly washing water tanks and other water containers.
People need to sleep under mosquito nets even during the daytime,
wear long-sleeved clothes, use mosquito sprays and mosquito repellent creams to
kill mosquitoes and prevent bites.
In particular, people do not arbitrarily treat dengue fever at
home./.
Source: VietnamPlus
