Since the beginning of the year, as many as 130,000 cases of dengue fever have been reported across the country, resulting in 15 deaths. This figure has spiked in recent weeks with between 5,000 and 10,000 new cases being reported weekly. In comparison to the same period last year, the number of dengue fever cases has seen a three-fold increase, with central, central highlands, and southern provinces being the hardest hit. Assoc Prof. Dr. Hoang Duc Hanh, deputy director of the Hanoi Department of Health, said although the number of dengue fever cases in Hanoi has declined and no fatalities have occurred compared to the 2014-2018 period, the epidemic is predicted to increase in the near future. Indeed, the capital city has seen 2,098 cases of dengue fever since the beginning of the year. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Nhat Cam, director of the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control, has pointed to a number of causes which have led to the spread of the epidemic, including the spread of the fever include an influx of migrants from rural areas, rapid urbanisation, hot weather and rain, an increasing number of construction sites, and poor sanitation in place in temporary housing for labourers. In addition, residents in several districts around the northern metropolis, namely Thuong Tin and Dong Anh, have failed to take drastic measures to combat the epidemic with the eradication of mosquito larva not being thoroughly tackled. With regard to preventive measures to fight the epidemic, Tran Dac Phu, head of the… [Read full story]
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