HCM CITY— HCM City has seen a slight decrease in the number of measles, dengue fever, and hand, foot and mouth cases since mid-February, according to the city’s Preventive Medicine Centre.

From February 15-21, 800 dengue fever patients were reported, falling 18 per cent compared to the previous four weeks.

Twenty-three patients contracted hand, foot and mouth disease from February 15-21, a drop of 30 per cent compared to the previous four weeks.

The city had 115 measles patients, a drop of 21 per cent compared to the previous four weeks. Incidences of dengue fever and measles from February 22-28 fell to 575 and 107, respectively.

However, the number of hand, foot and mouth cases increased to 32 on February 22-28.

Dr Trương Hữu Khanh, head of HCM City’s Paediatrics Hospital No. 1’s infectious and nervous diseases department, which admits patients from both HCM City and other provinces, said the department has seen a drop in the number of hand, foot and mouth cases since early this month.

Compared to the same period last year, the number of cases of the three diseases has risen. Doctors have urged people to take precautionary measures and get vaccinated.

According to the centre’s report, 95 per cent of measles patients had not been vaccinated, while 50 per cent of the patients were 18 months to 10 years old. Of these, 14 per cent were under nine months old as they had not received an antibody from their mother.

Dr Phan Trọng Lân, deputy head of the HCM City Pasteur Institute, said that improving immunization coverage would help prevent the spread of measles.

The city and its neighbouring provinces of Đồng Nai and Bình Dương have the highest incidences of measles in the southern region because of the number of employeees who work at industrial parks in the region.

The population density is high, which can also contribute to the spread of disease, Lân said.

According to the institute’s report, the immunization coverage among children of migrant workers is less than 50 per cent.

An Phước Commune in Đồng Nai Province’s Long Thành District, for instance, is one of the hot spots for the three diseases. At the beginning of the year, 10 more measles patients were reported, and half had not received measles vaccination.

For dengue fever, the HCM City centre continues to spray chemicals to destroy mosquitoes throughout the city.

Bình Dương Province’s Department of Health reported that cases of dengue fever and hand, foot, and mouth had not decreased. Last month, hospitals in the province admitted 572 dengue fever patients, increasing the total to 1,418 this year.  Last month, 168 new incidences of hand, foot and mouth were also reported.—VNS