Dak Lak (VNA)﷽ - Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has urged authorities in Central Highlands localities to keep a close watch on the development of dengue fever in the region.

Speaking at a conference held by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Dak Lak province on August 7, the Deputy PM asked for drastic measures to prevent the spread of dengue fever in the region. Communication campaigns should be intensified to raise public awareness of disease prevention, including encouraging residents to use chemicals in their homes and high risk areas to kill mosquitoes and mosquito larva, he said. People with dengue symptoms, such as high fever, headache and pain in muscles or joints, should go immediately to hospitals for examination and treatment, he stressed. Regional localities were requested to provide information about dengue fever to relevant agencies so that measures to limit and control outbreaks of the disease can be implemented . Attention should also be paid to preparing medical materials and facilities for treating patients, with an aim to minimise fatalities. He also stressed the need to arrange training courses for medical staff. According to Head of the Department of Preventive Medicine under the MoH Tran Dac Phu, the Central Highlands region has recorded 7,411 dengue cases, including four deaths, so far this year. Gia Lai province recorded the highest number of infections with 3,081 cases, followed by Dak Lak, Kon Tum and Dak Nong with 1,865 cases, 1,387 cases, and 1,079 cases, respectively. The rate of dengue-infected patient remains high, at about 168 cases /100,000 people. 48 out of 50 districts in the four provinces were hit by the disease. The outbreak of the disease in the region was attributed to low awareness of disease prevention, and hot weather and poor water storage in many localities, which facilitated the development of mosquito larva. Earlier the same day, Deputy PM Dam and Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien inspected dengue prevention measures in Ea Tul commune and the General Hospital in Buon Ma Thuot city of Dak Lak province.-VNA