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Dengue fever finds way past weather in HCM City
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/s...um=02HEA210208
http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/s...um=02HEA210208
HCM CITY ? Despite it being the dry season, HCM City is reporting an unusually high number of dengue fever cases, likely caused by the clusters of mosquitos swarming about in the city?s canals.
A sudden increase in mosquito in the city?s canals was posing a health hazard, said Dr Nguyen Dac Tho, deputy director of the city?s Preventative Health Centre.
The HCM City Tropical Disease Hospital?s Paediatrics A Ward has been treating an average of 35 to 40 patients a day, three times higher than during the same period last year.
According to Dr Tran Van Ngoc, the ward?s head, most patients live in the city?s outlying districts, including districts 8 and Binh Chanh.
"It is alarming that the number of patients suffering from the mosquito-borne disease is still high in the dry season," Ngoc said.
Several child patients had come into the Paediatrics Hospital No 1?s Dengue Fever Ward in critical condition, with failure of the liver, kidney and respiratory system, said Dr Le Bich Lien, head of the ward.
The number of adults contracting dengue fever in the city has also jumped sharply compared to the same period last year.
The Tropical Disease Hospital has been admitting about 25 adult cases a day compared to 6 or 7 last February.
Dr Nguyen Thi Dung, deputy head of the hospital?s Infectious Disease D Ward, said in previous years, most adult patients were from neighbouring provinces, but this year most of them were from the city.
To prevent the risk of new outbreaks in the dry season, the city?s Department of Health on Monday ordered district-level people?s committees, healthcare centres and preventative healthcare centres to tighten measures to control mosquito.
The health department asked the people?s committees to make sure that sewers and canals were cleaned to prevent stagnant water from collecting and creating an ideal breeding ground for mosquito. ? VNS