Citizens advised to apply drastic preventive measure against dengue fever

Illustrative photo (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Health Ministry’s Department of Preventive
Medicine on August 1 warned citizens to apply drastic measures to prevent
dengue fever spreading, after a person reportedly died of the disease in Ho Chi
Minh recently.

The department stressed that the most effective way to fight the
disease, for which there is no specific medicine or , is to kill
mosquitoes and larvae and avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.

It advised people to clean their homes, properly dispose of waste and
stow water receptacles away from where mosquitoes can breed.

Citizens should sleep in mosquito nets, wear long-sleeves and coordinate
with local authorities in spraying chemicals to kill mosquitoes.

Those who show symptoms of dengue fever, including a sudden and high
fever, forehead and eye pains, rashes, bleeding, feeling cold or vomiting,
should seek medical support at health care facilities.

Dengue fever is an acute viral disease caused by the dengue virus, which
is spread by two kinds of mosquitoes – .

The disease is common in tropical countries. In Vietnam, peak season of
the disease lasts from July to October. As the virus is divided into four types
– D1, D2, D3 and D4, a person can be infected many times.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), every year, about 96
million people are infected by dengue fever, with 500,000 serious cases, and
about 12,500 deaths.

Vietnam experienced
a boom of in 2017 when 181,054 got the disease and 30 deaths were
reported nationwide, mostly in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.-VNA