A medical professional helps a resident take necessary measures to prevent dengue fever at home (Source: VNA)HCM City (VNA) – The number of has
risen significantly in the , particularly in Can Tho city and the
provinces of Dong Thap, Ben Tre, Ca Mau and Tien Giang, according to the
Ministry of Health.
Dong Thap province has the highest number of dengue cases in the
delta, with over 1,000 infected cases, including 72 serious cases and two
deaths, with high rates in Cao Lanh city and the districts of Lap Vo, Cao Lanh
and Thanh Binh.
Dr. Duong An Han, director of the province’s Preventive Medicine
Centre, said the province had an average of about 50 dengue fever cases per
week.
“People do not care about taking . In some
cases, patients visit doctors too late thus the infection becomes serious.” he
said.
Dr. Huynh Minh Truc, director of Can Tho Preventive Medicine
Centre, said the city had seen nearly 600 cases of dengue fever since the
beginning of the year.
Can Tho’s Children Hospital has conducted 853 in-patient dengue
fever treatments from patients both inside and outside the province, and about
2,600 out-patient cases, an increase of 10 percent compared to the same period last year.
Dengue fever often occurs in children under aged 15, with 84 percent
of total infected cases in Can Tho and surrounding areas.
In Ben Tre province, more than 700 dengue fever cases have been
detected since the beginning of the year, a drop of 20 percent against the same
period last year.
However, more dengue infections are spreading through all
districts in the province, with one death occurring in Giong Trom district’s Tan
Thanh commune.
Ca Mau’s Women and Children Hospital said the number of children
hospitalised for dengue fever rose against the previous month, with 379 in-patient
cases.
The number of dengue cases increased by 148 percent in May and 405
percent this month, compared to the same period last year.
Dr. Tran Thien Ly, head of the Ca Mau’s Woman and Children
Hospital’s Intensive Care and Anti-poison Department, said that dengue
infections over the last two weeks were increasing in number but also in
seriousness.
The province has seen three kinds of four types of dengue viruses,
with 83.7 percent being the D1 type,
according to Tien Giang province’s Preventive Medicine Centre.
Dr. Nguyen Trung Nghia, deputy director of Can Tho
vity’s Department of Health, said the city People’s Committee and the
department had implemented many plans to prevent and control the disease,
organising campaigns to kill mosquito larvae in the city.
However, the number of dengue cases is still
increasing.
Dong Thap’s Preventive Medicine Centre carried
out a second campaign in June and a third in August, killing larvae and
spraying insecticides to kill mosquitoes.
Infected patients can be infected again and again, even more
dangerous than the previous times.
Nguyen Thanh Long, Deputy Minister of Health, said that
dengue-fever preventive vaccines had not been used in the community as the
price was high and residents doubted the efficacy. Thus, taking preventive
measures is necessary.
In rural areas, people have a habit of using jugs or tanks to hold
water, which creates favorable conditions for mosquito larvae.
The Ministry of has recommended that people cover all water
tanks, release fish into water tanks to kill mosquito larvae, replace water in
flower vases and remove waste materials.
People should also sleep under mosquito nets in un-airconditioned
rooms, wear long-sleeved shirts and pants, co-operate with the health sector in
chemical spraying and preventive methods, and immediately visit hospitals if
they have a high temperature.-VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
