Ho Chi Minh City authorities are calling on the health sector and all residents to take all the precautions needed to tackle the dengue fever virus amid a spike in new infections in the second largest city.
Speaking on Tuesday, Nguyen Van Nen, secretary of the city Party Committee, said there could be more dengue outbreaks in the city unless urgent measures are taken.
The city was struggling to fight against both Covid-19 and dengue diseases at the same time, which could raise the risk of overloading the healthcare system, he said.
The city had constantly recorded a surge in dengue cases with a high rate of severity due to a delay in hospital admissions and improper or late treatment at home, he noted.
The city should be ready to activate a treatment system capable of responding to 2,000 to 6,000 cases of dengue, Nen said.
“It is especially important to reduce the number of severe cases and deaths,” he said.
Vuong Anh Duong, deputy head of the Ministry of Health’s department of medical examination and treatment, said Ho Chi Minh City has seen a 50% increase in cases from the same period last year. — Vietnam News/ANN
