Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – Dengue fever cases droppedsignificantly in Vietnam during the first eight months of this year, but thecountry needed to remain vigilant as there were currently cases in 58provinces and cities and the risk of a greater outbreak was extremely high,experts have said.

According to the General Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministryof Health, the number of dengue cases this year had reached 60,525 with sevendeaths as of September 6. This was compared to 178,200 cases with 38deaths reported during the same period last year.

Hanoi is considered a hotspot for dengue fever in the North. The capital cityhas recorded a total of 2,200 cases since the beginning of this year, includingtwo deaths.

The number of cases has decreased by 47.2 percent compared to last year’sfigure.

Hoang Duc Hanh, deputy director of the municipal Department of Health, said thenumber of cases was likely to increase.

From September 7-13, 399 cases were reported in the city, 171 morethan the previous week.

“This year dengue fever in Hanoi first appeared in suburban districts suchas Phuc Tho, Thuong Tin and Thanh Oai and then spread to the inner city. Theepidemic reaches its peak between August and November every year and thenumber of cases will continue to increase until November,” he said.

Hanh said the dengue fever epidemic this year might not turn into majoroutbreak but strengthened preventive measures were needed as it coincidedwith the COVID-19 pandemic.

The weather was among the factors accounting for the increase in dengue feverpatients, he said, adding that hot weather along with rain creating favourableconditions for mosquitoes to transmit and develop.

Localities were being urged to spray for mosquitoes in high-riskareas or areas with dengue fever patients, Hanh said.

In HCM City, as many as 500 new cases of dengue fever have been reported weeklyover the past two months.

According to HCM City’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the numberof dengue fever cases had declined by 71.8 compared with the same periodlast year.

The city has seen 11,404 cases of dengue fever since the beginning of the year.

However, the figure has spiked in recent weeks. About 543 caseswere reported in the last week of August in 13 out of HCM City’s 24districts.

According to statistics from the Central Highlands' Institute ofHygiene and Epidemiology, the number of dengue fever cases across theregion's five provinces in the first eight months of this decreasedsharply compared to the same period in 2019.

Director of the institute Vien Chinh Chien said most cases had beendetected in remote areas that were home to ethnic minoritygroups. He pointed to a number of factors leading to the spread ofthe epidemic, including poor sanitation and inadequate public awarenessof the issue.

In the following months, the unit would instruct those provinces toclosely monitor the progress of the outbreak, he said.

Trinh Quang Tri, deputy director of Dak Nong’s Centre for Disease Preventionand Control agreed.

The epidemic was very difficult to control due to the terrain, he said,adding that the province had recorded only 350 cases over the past eight months.

As the number of patients being hospitalised with dengue fever was on therise, doctors advised people not to be complacent.

Nguyen Van Lam from the National Children’s Hospital said over 60 childrenhad so far been admitted for dengue fever treatment, mostly in August andSeptember.

They were of different ages but fortunately there had beenno critical or fatal cases.

He warned that in the early stages of dengue fever, it could easilybe mistaken for another illness.

People should check for warning signs such as abdominal pain, bleedingunder the skin, dehydration or vomiting, and children should be admittedto hospital if any of these showed up, he said.

According to Do Duy Cuong, director of the Centre for Tropical Diseasesat Bach Mai Hospital, patients with dengue fever usually recoverafter seven days of treatment. However, about 5 percent could becomecritical if they are not treated in time./.