[하노이] 12 deaths from dengue fever, plus cases

Representatives of the CDC in Hanoi inspect the mosquito and larvae tank

The Hanoi Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the number of dengue cases in the capital has increased significantly since this month. Cases of infection were recorded in all districts, and more than 1,000 new cases were reported each week from 7 to 20 October, the biggest increase this year. It increased 3.2 times from the previous year, the center added.

The Hanoi CDC said there were 12 deaths from dengue fever this year, while no deaths were recorded last year. The infection mainly occurred in suburban areas, he added.

Authorities said the sharp rise in these cases could cause mosquitoes to proliferate, mainly because people don’t pay enough attention to cleaning the environment. The unfinished buildings with puddles, open water reservoirs and hanging gardens all provide ideal shelter for mosquitoes, they said.

Also, people don’t come to the hospital for an early diagnosis.

Do Duy Quong, deputy director of the Center for Tropical Diseases at Bac Mai Hospital, Hanoi’s largest public facility, said that when a person has a fever, they think about the flu or COVID-19, but they don’t care about dengue. He said he only comes to the hospital when there are signs of low platelets. At the National Tropical Hospital, a dengue patient who arrived at the hospital after being sick for 4-6 days had to undergo blood filtration in the emergency room.

The CDC in Hanoi said the capital will enter a peak of dengue fever in mid-November.

Vietnam is experiencing its worst year of dengue. Vietnam had recorded 224,771 cases at the end of September, making it the second largest disease in the world this year.

In August, the World Health Organization (WHO) recorded 2,597,000 cases and 2,065 deaths. Brazil had the largest number of cases with 1,910,657, followed by Vietnam (145,536), the Philippines (82,597), Indonesia (68,903) and Peru (57,469). Most deaths were reported in Brazil (774), Vietnam (53), the Philippines (319), Indonesia (640) and Peru (72).

Vietnamese officials previously said the number of dengue cases recorded in the country this year is only slightly lower than the 300,000 and 400 deaths recorded in 1998, the worst year of dengue infection.