Dengue cases escalate, Zika re-occurs in Vietnam

No cases of dengue fever have been reported in Ho Chi Minh City since March, 2016, however in September, dengue fever and Zika virus disease re-occurred in Ho Chi Minh City.

No cases of dengue fever have been reported in Ho Chi Minh City since March, 2016, however in September, dengue fever and Zika virus disease re-occurred in Ho Chi Minh City.

Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien tours District 2 in Ho Chi Minh City to inspect anti-mosquito task in the district (Photo: SGGP)
Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien tours District 2 in Ho Chi Minh City to inspect anti-mosquito task in the district (Photo: SGGP)

Rainy season is conducive to increase in cases of dengue fever. Head of the city’s Department of Preventive Medicine Dr. Nguyen Tri Dung said that after many months of curbing dengue fever, rainy season has created favorable condition for the breeding of mosquitoes.

By statistic in early September, HCMC had 501 hospitalized dengue fever cases, 34 percent higher than last month. Since the beginning of the year, the city has had 11,306 dengue patients, an increase of 35 percent compared to same period last year.

As per the city Department of Preventive Medicine, some districts including Hoc Mon, Binh Chanh, Thu Duc and Binh Thanh have outbreaks of dengue. In August, an outbreak of dengue fever in Hoc Mon District infected five inhabitants and one killed. The disease drove 4 others into hospitals.

Cu Chi District is also a “hot spot” for dengue, the Department of Preventive Medicine therefore paid visits and checked anti-mosquito measures in Tan Trung Phu Commune of the district.

Before, in July, 2016, dengue was plaguing in the central highlands provinces and Vietnam’s South East region. At that time, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam arrived in the two regions urging to adopt measures to eliminate the disease outbreaks. As per the Ministry of Health, the dengue leaped to 50,000 cases in 48 cities and provinces including 17 deaths. The figure is three times higher than last year.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the Zika virus is developing complicatedly. As of September 19, 72 nations and territories worldwide reported the circulation of Zika virus. Apart from this, seven Southeast Asian countries reported that people are diagnosed with the mosquito-borne virus; especially Singapore has reported with 396 infection cases of Zika virus disease since late August.

Early in September, Vietnamese Ministry of Health recorded a case of Zika. That is a German lives in district 2.  Health authority September 13 announced case of a Taiwanese man who arrived in Vietnam to attend his son’s wedding ceremony in the Mekong delta province of Tra Vinh and then was diagnosed with the mosquito-borne disease when returning Taiwan (China).

Zika virus disease entered Vietnam in March, 2016 infecting a resident in Ho Chi Minh City and causing concerns among the community. Head of the Ministry of Health’s Department of Preventive Medicine Dr. Tran Dac Phu warned that Zika virus has spread after a period of hiatus. Some Asian nations such as Japan, Thailan, and the Philippines have recorded cases of Zika virus disease; accordingly Vietnam is highly likely to have outbreak of Zika.

Speaking at the teleconference of ASEAN health ministers, Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said Vietnam has raised public awareness of Zika prevention, especially at international airports and border gates  and relevant agencies will increase monitoring passengers from disease-stricken nations.

Medical workers in all infirmaries nationwide will take samples for testing if they are suspected and Vietnam will use the Trioplex test which used to diagnosis Zika virus cases, dengue and Chikunggunia in the early stage, said Minister Tien. She pointed out that to prevent Zika virus disease effectively, people’s awareness is important and they need to regularly kill mosquito and destroy water containers to kill larva.

Concluding the event, participants of the ASEAN health minister issued a joint statement detailing co-operation in increasing monitoring efforts in each country, improving information exchange, surveillance and countermeasures, as well as mosquito control and management of larvae breeding grounds.

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