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A medical worker gives treatment to a dengue patient (Photo: VNA) |
Hanoi reports about 6,700 dengue cases so far this year
About 6,700 dengue cases have been recorded in Hanoi since the beginning of 2017, causing three deaths, according to the municipal Health Department. The department said as of July 25, most patients had recovered, and about 700 are still being treated in hospitals. Since the year's outset, the capital city has put 789 of the 984 reported dengue hotbeds under control, with no new dengue cases within 14 days at those places. At a July 25 meeting on Hanoi's disease prevention and control, Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Ngo Van Quy asked local districts and departments to implement his committee's directive on stepping up dengue prevention and control measures, especially in areas with high population density and many construction sites. While the departments of information and communications, education and training and construction will work with the health department to boost communication activities, the city's finance department was ordered to ensure funding for disease prevention and control. Deputy Director of the health department Hoang Duc Hanh told the press that the dengue epidemic in Hanoi is likely to be a concern from now to the end of this year, especially from September to November. Therefore, residents need to keep their houses clean and maintain disease prevention measures. Director of the Preventive Medicine Department under the Ministry of Health Tran Dac Phu 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 percent 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. Synchronous measures needed to curb dengue fever outbreak Drastic and synchronous measures are needed to control dengue fever outbreak in Vietnam, heard a teleconference on July 24. The health ministry has sent seven inspection teams to hotspots, launched campaigns to kill mosquito larva and opened treatment training courses for health workers. Minister of Health 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. 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.
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