The Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health, the number of reported dengue cases has surged to 250,000 and 49 people succumbed to the disease as of November. Compared to the same period last year, dengue is increasing at a higher rate than any other communicable disease, with 300% increase in infection cases; moreover, the number of dengue-related deaths increased 26. According to the Disease Control Center in Hanoi, the number of reported dengue cases have been over 11,000 dengue as of November 25. Presently, the downward trend in hospitalized cases has seen this week with 600-700 cases. The disease has been increasing in suburban districts and spread to inner districts. More elderly people and pregnant women have been infected with dengue including some suffering serious complications including shock, encephalitis, or Myocarditis Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Hoang Duc Hanh said that the capital city has been carrying out measures to battle the disease in November. Administrations in districts continued paying visits to construction sites, markets, schools, and rented houses to disseminate information of dengue as well as spray chemicals to kill mosquitos and monitor “hot spots” of dengue. Pham Hung who heads the Department of Preventive Medicine’s Ward of Infectious Diseases said people should dispose of unwanted containers where water may gather (such as lunch boxes and soft-drink cans), cover water containers, wells and water tanks tightly, and use mosquito nets when sleeping. By June 2021, Vietnam will install a surveillance system to warn dengue epidemic in the capital city of Hanoi, the southern province of Dong Nai, the central province of Khanh Hoa, and the central highland province of Dak Lak basing on satellite data. There is no specific treatment for dengue/severe dengue. Early detection of disease progression associated with severe dengue, and access to proper medical care lowers fatality rates of severe dengue to below 1%, according to the World Health Organization. The global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically in recent decades. About half of the world's population is now at risk. (Saigon Giai Phong-Liberated Saigon)
