Dengue patients are being treated at hospital (Illustrative image. Source: VNA)At a meeting on combating dengue fever in Hanoi on August 10, Director ofthe Preventive Medicine Department Tran Dac Phu reported that 80,555 cases of denguefever had been reported in the country so far this year with 24 deaths. Morecases are expected as it is now the peak of the disease season.
Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien expressed concerns at the risingtrend of dengue fever in Hanoi despite drastic efforts made by the health sector.
Hanoi ranks second after Ho Chi Minh City in the number of denguepatients with 13,900 cases as of August 9.
The Preventive Medicine Department stressed that the main cause of the spreadof dengue fever is the early arrival of summer this year with highertemperature and rainfalls than in previous years. The awareness about diseaseprevention among population and authorities is low due to the absence of the epidemicfor years.
The department has set up three mobile taskforces to deal with the dengueepidemic. The Health Ministry will send experts from the Central to help fourHanoi districts hardest hit by the epidemic and dispatch six teams to inspect anti-epidemicwork in eight hot-bed provinces.
In particular, the health sector will mobilize the cooperation of otherbranches and sectors such as the police, the army, the construction industry,the natural resources and environment sector and the education sector to clean upthe environment and kill mosquitos at construction sites, public areas as wellas at houses and schools.-VNA
VNA
