Medical workers transfer a patient in hot weather at a hospital in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Thùy Giang

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Health (MoH) has asked provinces and cities to strengthen preventive measures against dengue fever and other diseases that can thrive in hot weather.

Common summer diseases include digestive and respiratory diseases such as Rotavirus diarrhoea, hand-foot-mouth disease, dysentery, typhoid, measles, influenza, dengue fever and viral encephalitis.

Those diseases often affect a high number of patients and can become large epidemics.

The General Department of Preventive Medicine asked provinces and cities to conduct preventive measures against dengue fever, especially during this month in response to the 13th ASEAN Dengue Day June 15.

Localities must strengthen education and communication with messages recommended by the MoH.

Local leaders should also ask people to have their children vaccinated on schedule and with enough doses.

Education for epidemic prevention and control can be conducted in many forms such as distributing leaflets, using loudspeakers, or broadcasting on radio, newspapers and television.

The education should focus on personal hygiene, food safety and hygiene.

Medical units strengthen supervision, detect patients early, quarantine to prevent outbreaks in the community.

They should take samples for testing to identify disease sources, strengthen anti-epidemic teams and emergency teams which are ready to investigate, assess and handle outbreaks.

Hospitals must collect and treat patients, minimise the number of deaths and prevent cross-infection.

The General Department of Preventive Medicine also requested localities to train and update knowledge on summer diseases detection and treatment at all levels to improve health workers’ capacity, especially at the grassroots level.

They must find inspection and support teams to solve difficulties and obstacles in disease prevention and control and take timely measures.

Hospitals must ensure enough drugs and equipment for disease prevention and control. — VNS