HÀ NỘI – The city’s health department has urged district-level authorities and relevant agencies to take preventive measures against the outbreak of dengue fever.

The department also called on the community and all families to take actions to maintain environmental sanitation, especially spraying chemicals to kill mosquitoes in high-risk areas.

Dengue virus is circulating in many forms; many patients can therefore be infected again and it could be worse than the previous instance.

Therefore, killing mosquitoes, removing waste water, cleaning toilets regularly and using mosquito nets are necessary to prevent the spread of dengue fever.

According to the Ministry of Health, 20,947 dengue cases have been reported nationwide, with eight deaths, so far, this year.

The number of dengue cases has shown a trend of increasing nationwide since early April, according to the ministry, with 6,900 cases (including two deaths) reported in April alone against 4,000 cases in the first three months of this year.

In Hà Nội, the Preventive Health Centre said there were 500 cases in the last four months, an increase of 45 per cent against the same period last year. Dengue fever was prevalent in all areas of the city.

According to health experts, unseasonable rains have created favourable conditions for the breeding of mosquitoes and the spread of the disease.

The peak season for dengue generally falls from May to November.

Dengue fever is transmitted by mosquitoes carrying the virus. In the early stage, its symptoms include high fever, severe headaches and joint aches, which can be confused with symptoms of other diseases.

The disease has potentially dangerous complications, such as shock, respiratory failure, coagulation, liver damage and altered mental status, and can even be fatal.

In 2016, the prevalence of dengue fever per 100,000 people in Việt Nam was 109.5, lower than other regional countries such as Malaysia, which had a prevalence of 325.3. — VNS