HCMC – The capital city of Hanoi has confirmed 2,605 cases of avian influenza in the year to date, with infections soaring sharply in June and the first half of July, according to data from the Hanoi Center for Disease and Control (Hanoi CDC).
The city has reported no death linked to the avian influenza virus, but many cases are reportedly in severe condition.
New infections with the virus remained below 400 per month between January and April, but the number rose to almost 600 in May and nearly 900 in June, putting the city at risk of an influenza A epidemic.
At the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi, hospitalizations linked to the flu have soared in recent weeks. From July 1 to 15, the hospital admitted 1,068 probable influenza cases. The figure is higher than the total number of suspected flu cases admitted to the hospital in the first half of the year.
The Hanoi health authority said that 252 influenza A cases are under medical treatment at the hospital. These patients are residents of 23 out of 30 districts in the city.
Given the possibility of an influenza epidemic, Hanoi CDC asked medical centers citywide to ramp up efforts to monitor and detect probable flu cases in the community and medical facilities.
