Hanoi, July 14 Vietnam's two largest cities, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, are stepping up measures to tackle a sharp rise in dengue fever cases in recent weeks, Vietnam News Agency reported Monday.
In Hanoi, 34 new infections were reported last week, marking an increase of 13 cases from the previous week, according to the capital's Centre for Disease Control.
The centre has identified several outbreak clusters with high mosquito density and warned that infections are likely to rise as the city enters its annual peak season for the disease.
Meanwhile, health authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have issued an urgent alert after six dengue-related deaths were recorded since the beginning of the year, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting the Vietnam News Agency.
The southern metropolis registered 838 new cases in the past week alone, bringing the total to 14,370 cases this year, a surge of more than 153 per cent compared to the same period last year, the state-owned media reported.
Local residents have been urged to eliminate standing water, regularly clean water containers and report potential mosquito breeding grounds via a designated health app.
According to the World Health Organization, Dengue is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people. It is more common in tropical and subtropical climates.
Most people who get dengue will not have symptoms. But for those who do, the most common symptoms are high fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and rash. Most will get better in 1–2 weeks. Some people develop severe dengue and need care in a hospital.
In severe cases, dengue can be fatal.
You can lower your risk of dengue by avoiding mosquito bites, especially during the day.
Dengue is treated with pain medicine as there is no specific treatment currently.
The incidence of dengue has grown dramatically around the world in recent decades, with cases reported to WHO increasing from 505,430 cases in 2000 to 5.2 million in 2019. A vast majority of cases are asymptomatic or mild and self-managed, and hence, the actual numbers of dengue cases are under-reported. Many cases are also misdiagnosed as other febrile illnesses.
The highest number of dengue cases was recorded in 2023, affecting over 80 countries in all regions of the WHO. Since the beginning of 2023, ongoing transmission, combined with an unexpected spike in dengue cases, has resulted in a historic high of over 6.5 million cases and more than 7300 dengue-related deaths reported.
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