Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Denguefever in Hanoi has dropped since last month, down 95.8 percent against the sameperiod last year, but the risk of contracting the disease is still high, warnedDr Nguyen Nhat Cam, Director of the city’s Disease Control Centre.

Environmental pollution in thecity with various wastes, an increasing number of construction sites and poorsanitation at the temporary housing of labourers was creating favorableconditions for the development of mosquitoes to spread dengue fever, he said.

Over the last few months, theweather in Hanoi and the northern provinces has included prolongedrains so there was a high risk of an epidemic.

“Ponds and rainwater tanks, ifthey aren’t cleaned, will become a very favorable environment for mosquitoes tospread dengue fever,” Cam said.

“Compared to this time last year,the number of dengue fever cases in the city decreased sharply. In earlyOctober in 2017, there was a dengue fever epidemic happening in Hanoi.”

However, if local authorities andpeople in areas where outbreaks of the disease occurred previously didn’t takeprecautionary measures, there was a risk of another outbreak, the directorwarned.

Dengue fever is a frequentdisease in Hanoi, with an average of 5,000 cases recorded annually. But in2017, the city recorded over 37,000 cases.

In recent months, many childrenand students in city have contracted dengue fever, the city Health Departmentreported. Now there are 149 cases being treated at health centres but so far,no deaths.

Cam said each family needs toraise awareness of disease prevention by ensuring a clean environment andlimiting the development of mosquitoes.

More than 28,000 households, 24construction sites and 70 public places in Hanoi have been chemically treatedto prevent dengue fever from spreading.

The Health Department organisedtraining courses for 65 mobile teams on disease prevention.

“Thanks to the role of mobileteams, the city can quickly detect new cases and implement timely measures tolocalize and stamp out the epidemic,” Cam said.-VNS/VNA