Dengue patients increase in the first 7 months of 2016.

Nearly 45,000 people came down with dengue fever across Vietnam in the first seven months, a 260 percent increase from a year ago; Central Highlands provinces have been urged to increase efforts to curb the spread of dengue fever as the number of patients in the region has risen to 6,038, including four dead, a 15-fold increase from 2015.

Vietnam reports 260 percent rise in dengue infections

Nearly 45,000 people came down with dengue fever across Vietnam in the first seven months, a 260 percent increase from a year ago, local media reported o­n Wednesday, citing new data released by the health ministry.

At least 14 people were killed and infections were recorded in 46 out of 63 cities and provinces, Tran Dac Phu, chief of the ministry's General Department of Preventive Medicine, told news website Saigon Times o­nline.

The department has urged local governments, especially provinces with outbreaks such as Bac Lieu and Dak Lak, to take measures for killing mosquito larvae in provincial areas with high risk of dengue; at the same time, to carry out the insecticides spraying of all households living in the foci under the guidance of the Ministry of Health; to identify the hotspots to focus resources for thorough treament, ensuring that no outbreak dengue occur, spread, or extend. Local clinics have also been ordered to provide appropriate and urgent treatment for patients to limit fatalities, he added.

Vietnam recorded nearly 82,000 dengue infections last year, including 52 deaths, according to official figures.

Central Highlands step up efforts to curb dengue fever

Central Highlands provinces have been urged to increase efforts to curb the spread of dengue fever as the number of patients in the region has risen to 6,038, including four dead, a 15-fold increase from 2015, according to the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE)?s office in Central Highlands.

Dak Lak province has the most reported cases with 2,181, including o­ne dead.Gia Lai reported 2,157 cases and Kon Tum reported 1,400 cases, including two dead.According to reports from relevant agencies, dengue fever has grown strongly in the Central Highlands due to weather helping the growth of mosquitoes carrying dengue fever.

A health staff is spraying mosquitoe-killing chemical in a high-risk area in Dak Lak province. (Source: VNA)

The Central Highlands NIHE office recommended the health sector to coordinate with localities to check and zone off residential areas with the most patients to spray mosquito-killing chemicals.Provinces and cities were urged to spread information and call o­n locals to clear bushes, dredge ditches and collect garbage.Locals were recommended to take measures to kill mosquitoes, including wearing long-sleeved clothes and using mosquitoe net while sleeping to minimise the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes.They were advised to immediately go to the health centres for treatment if experiencing dengue fever symptoms.

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