With the increasing number of dengue fever
patients in Ha Noi and other major population centers across Viet Nam, experts have
pointed out a relationship between the disease and rapid urbanization. The
number of dengue fever cases in the Vietnamese capital has been rising rapidly
since the beginning of the year, posing concerns given that the epidemic has
yet to enter its peak season in the city. According to Hoang Duc Hanh, Deputy
Director of the municipal Department of Health, the number of patients
suffering from the mosquito-borne disease in the first half of 2017 has
exceeded 1,500, an increase of two or three times year-on-year. Following
several years of zero recorded dengue fever deaths, a teenage girl was killed
by the illness in Ha Noi recently. The number of dengue fever cases in the
Vietnamese capital hits over 100 every week, while the total across the country
is around 1,700 to 1,800 per week. The northern city does not have the highest
number of patients, Hanh said, before adding that the epidemic had broken out
there sooner than usual, which was normally September in previous years. Districts
including Dong Da, Hai Ba Trung, Hoang Mai, Thanh Xuan, and Hoai Duc have
recorded the highest number of cases, which is likely attributed to rapid
urbanization in these neighborhoods, the official said. “We are concerned that
a severe pandemic will occur in Ha Noi this year, similar to that in 2009 when
about 15,000 people were infected,” Hanh said. Phan Trong Lan, Head of the
Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City, said dengue fever epidemics are changing
their usual locations from the Mekong Delta to those areas with rapid modernization,
namely Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces of Dong Nai and Binh Duong. Urbanization
attracts immigrants from other cities, and a higher population makes it easier
for the disease to spread rapidly, Lan elaborated. It is recommended that
people with symptoms including fever, headache, and nosebleed should go to the
nearest hospital for a check-up and treatment. Families, schools, and other
institutions should pay attention to preventive measures to eradicate
mosquitoes and their larvae before they can spread ailment.
Tuoi
Tre News – June 13 - http://tuoitrenews.vn/society/41436/rise-in-dengue-fever-cases-attributed-to-rapid-urbanization
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