Central province Phú Yên reported 1,658 dengue cases during the first five months of the year, seven times higher than the same period last year. Photo ytevietnam.net

PHÚ YÊN – The number of dengue fever cases has increased by seven times compared against the same period last year in the central province of Phú Yên, according to the local health department. 

The province reported 1,658 cases during the first five months of the year, with local dengue hotbeds including the districts of Phú Hòa, Sông Hinh and Tuy An, and Tuy Hòa City. 

The province's Obstetrics and Pediatrics Hospital was overloaded with children who had been rushed to the hospital with signs of dengue fever. 

One of the contributing factors to the increase is the local residents' lack of awareness and preventive measures taken to get rid of mosquitoes, Biện Ngọc Tân, the deputy director of the provincial preventive healthcare centre, said.  

If the trend continues, the risk of a dengue fever outbreak in Phú Yên this year is high, he added. 

Local authorities have ordered health agencies to step up inspections and eliminate mosquito breeding grounds near residential areas.

Patients showing symptoms of dengue fever were told to immediately go to the hospital and not engage in any form of home treatment. VNS