Vietnam on alert with over 10,000 dengue cases in a week

Patients undergoing treatment for dengue fever at the Vietnam - Cuba Friendship Hospital in Hanoi. - Vietnam News/Asia News Network

HANOI (Vietnam News/Asia News Network): Vietnam's capital city reported over 1,300 cases of dengue fever last week, an increase of 9% compared to the final week of October.

The Ministry of Health has also announced that over 10,000 cases of dengue fever were recorded nationwide over the past week, along with two deaths.

Since the beginning of the year, the country has reported a total of 292,439 cases of dengue fever and 112 deaths.

This figure is 4.8 times higher than that of the same period last year, which was 56,240. The number of fatalities also increased by 91.

Hanoi is seeing the biggest increase in dengue fever cases in the country. The weekly number of infections has risen from 500 to 700 per week in September to 1,200 to 1,400 at the end of October.

The latest report from the capital city’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that cases had been recorded across all 30 districts and towns.

Dr Nguyen Van Thuong, director of Duc Giang General Hospital, said that the disease was worse than the previous year, with over 50% of hospitalisations experiencing severe symptoms, including serious abdominal pain, bleeding gums, vomiting blood, and thrombocytopenia.

Nguyen Gia Phuc, deputy director of Dan Phuong District Health Centre explained that the situation was caused by dense population and old customs of storing water in uncovered containers, as well as waste problems.

This formed ideal conditions for disease-carrying mosquitos to multiply and cause outbreaks.

CDC Hanoi has warned that the number of infections in the city might continue to rise, resulting in more severe cases and fatalities. Forecasts said that the peak of the disease would likely be mid-November.

According to Tran Thi Nhị Ha, director of the Hanoi Health Department, besides the favourable weather for disease-carrying mosquitos, this year is also part of the five-year cycle in which significant dengue outbreaks are recorded.