HCMC – The Ministry of Health has written to local authorities nationwide asking them to take more measures to prevent and control outbreaks of dengue fever, given an upsurge in new dengue cases in the country.
The country saw a 2.3-fold year-on-year increase in dengue fever patients in the first two months of the year, with most cases reported in the southern and central regions, despite authorities’ enormous efforts to combat outbreaks of dengue fever, said Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong.
As the rainy season, in which dengue fever spreads, is drawing near, local authorities were advised to proactively take action to raise public awareness about dengue fever prevention and control.
Local health authorities, in coordination with other competent forces, were told to launch campaigns to clean the surrounding environment, kill mosquito larvae and eliminate mosquito breeding sites.
Local preventive medicine centers must keep a close watch on dengue fever developments in their areas, in order to timely detect and handle dengue fever clusters.
Healthcare facilities must ensure a sufficient amount of medicine and medical equipment is made available to serve the treatment and care of people infected with dengue fever.
The Health Ministry also asked local authorities to form working delegations to supervise dengue fever prevention and control efforts in dengue fever clusters and high-risk areas.
Data from the ministry indicated that the country reported nearly 362,000 dengue fever cases in 2022, including 133 deaths.
