Dengue fever cases continue to climb

HCM CITY (VNS)— Dengue fever among people between the ages of 15 and 35 in the southern region has increased in recent years, according to the HCM City Pasteur Institute.

Last year, the region saw 62,039 incidences of dengue fever, including children and adults, an increase of 11.2 per cent compared to 2011.

Dengue fever incidence among adults in this age group accounted for nearly 42 per cent of the total, while the rate was 41.2 per cent for 2011 and 37.5 per cent for 2010. Most of these cases were in the southeastern region.

The southern region had 61 fatalities because of the disease last year, an increase of 3.4 per cent against 2011.

Of those, the rate of fatality and incidence among adults was 0.07 per cent and between fatality and serious incidence among adults, 2.06 per cent, which was 0.18 per cent higher than 2011.

Dr Nguyen Van Hao of HCM City Hospital for Tropical Disease said 6,506 adults with dengue fever were brought to his hospital last year, a drop of 456 compared to 2011.

But the number of serious cases was higher than that of 2011.

Last year, 511 patients had seen serious complications, including bleeding, kidney failure and prolonged shock, and 11 of them died. The number was 393 in 2011.

Hao said that adults who are obese or have arthritis can see more serious complications if they contract dengue fever.

Most patients in provinces were brought to local hospital emergency wards, but many doctors do not have professional knowledge about dengue fever and often incorrectly diagnose the condition.

Vo Xuan Huy, Hao's colleague, said that provincial hospitals should build testing rooms to assist in the diagnosis. Most of them do not have such facilities.

Many of the patients do not visit hospitals for treatment, and need to be better educated about dengue fever and its symptoms. — VNS