Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien at the campaign (Source: thanhnien)The Ministry of Health launched a mosquito larva killing campaign in Vietnam’s southern central and southern provinces and cities on October 16 in an effort to fight increasing dengue fever.
At the launch in An Phu ward of Binh Duong southern province’s Thuan An Town, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien urged local authorities and mass organisation to join the campaign while continuing to spread information on how to prevent dengue outbreaks.
According to the minister, dengue fever is spreading in the southern central southern provinces – with Binh Duong being a “dengue hot spot” with the highest number of fatalities from dengue fever in the country so far this year, as it is now the rainy season in the regions.
She said there is no vaccine for the disease, so people should take preventive measures like periodically cleaning water containers to remove mosquito larvae and prevent the spread of the disease .
The disease is currently at its peak in Vietnam, with 25 deaths and 40,000 confirmed dengue cases.
According to the World Health Organisation, dengue fever is contracted through bites from dengue-infected mosquitoes, causing headaches, fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands, vomiting and rashes. There is no medication to treat the disease – only to ease the symptoms.
Dengue has been present in more than 100 countries and territories worldwide over the past 50 years, and an estimated 50-100 million cases occur each year.-VNA
