HANOI (VIETNAM NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK): Vietnam has recorded nearly 270,300 cases of dengue fever, which has resulted in 108 deaths, since the beginning of this year, reported the Ministry of Health.
The number of infected cases increased 4.8 times while the number of deaths increased by 87 cases compared to the same period last year.
However, in the latest tracking period, 9,677 cases were detected in the week from Oct 17 to 23, lower than the previous week which saw 11,260 cases.
It is forecast that the number of cases and deaths will peak in November and December.
A high number of infections and deaths is still concentrated in the South, Central, and Central Highlands regions while the northern region has also recorded a considerable uptick in the number of cases and deaths.
According to the Centre for Tropical Diseases at the Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital, the number of dengue fever patients in Hanoi and neighbouring provinces has been increasing, with the peak in the next two months.
Doctors warned that there will be a risk of "concurrent outbreaks" of several diseases such as Covid-19, Adenovirus, flu, and chickenpox along with dengue when the weather in the northern region changes.
Assoc Dr Do Duy Cuong, the centre’s director, said: “This year, there will be a big outbreak of dengue fever in the northern region because it is on a five-year cycle.”
“In August, the number of dengue fever patients hospitalised at the centre was only 70 but the number increased to 160 and 250 in September and in October, respectively,” Cuong said.
“The patients came mainly from suburban districts such as Dan Phuong, Thuong Tin, Hoai Duc and Long Bien, then spread to inner city districts of Nam Tu Liem, Thanh Xuan, Dong Da and Hoang Mai," the doctor said.
Meanwhile, the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control (CDC) reported that from Oct 17 to 23, Hanoi registered 1,420 cases of dengue fever in 30 districts and townships, increasing the total number of infected cases since earlier this year to 8,199, including five deaths.
Meanwhile, HCM City, so far, has recorded 66,699 cases, including 29 deaths, of which there were 2,000 cases in the week of Oct 17 to 23.
Although the number of dengue fever infections is on a downward trend, up to now, the number of cases has increased seven times and the number of severe cases has increased 3.6 times compared to the same period last year.
The HCM City Department of Health has asked health care facilities to implement a red alert process for patients with severe and critical dengue fever at risk of death to promptly save the patient's life.
The city’s health sector has also established a 33-member group of experts for dengue fever treatment with the task of guiding the treatment of dengue fever and analysing severe and fatal cases as well as providing trainings and remote consultation and treatment of severe dengue patients.
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