People in southern parts of the country have been warned to take precautions against the spread of dengue fever, as the risk of getting the disease rises next month.
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| Dengue fever patients at HCMC Pediatrics Hospital |
People in southern parts of the country have been warned to take precautions against the spread of dengue fever, as the risk of getting the disease rises next month.
The wet season and erratic weather changes are raising the likelihood of outbreaks of dengue fever, a disease spread by mosquitoes, said the General Department of Preventive Medicine.
The department said outbreaks may become serious as the wet season has arrived early, providing ideal conditions for mosquitoes to breed.
According to department reports, dengue is rapidly spreading over southern cities and provinces, with more than 1,000 fever cases recorded per week, infecting nearly 15,000 people and killing 11 during the first seven months of this year.
The number of people to catch dengue fever during this period is 4.4 per cent higher than the same period last year.
The area at greatest dengue fever cases is HCM City, followed by Dong Nai and Khanh Hoa provinces and Can Tho city. Although many other areas in the south and central regions also face high threats of outbreaks.
HCM City's Pasteur Institute said that during the last few weeks, the city saw 131 dengue fever patients, raising the total number of cases in the city so far this year to 3,323. Among the districts, Binh Tan and Binh Chanh saw the highest amount of dengue fever cases.
Meanwhile, nearly 3,000 dengue fever cases have been reported in southern Dong Nai province alone, and five patients died due to the disease.
An Giang's preventive medicine centre said that the province had nearly 3,000 dengue fever cases, one and a half times as many as last year.
Dengue fever cases in Cho Moi and Phu Tan Districts and Long Xuyen city are by far the highest across the province.
Khanh Hoa Province is said to have by far the highest number of dengue fever cases, with 2,200 reported in the province's central region.
Southern Can Tho Province has reported nearly 500 dengue fever cases, which is 10 per cent higher than last year's figure.
Doctor Tran Hung, director of the Preventive Medicine Centre in HCM City, said that people must act to minimise conditions that help mosquitoes breed.
He said residents and local authorities have not taken enough preventive action, contributing to an increase of fever cases.
"It is more important to raise peoples' awareness on health care," said Director Cao Trong Nguong from Dong Nai's Preventive Medicine Centre.
(Source: VNS)
