Hanoi still wary of dengue fever

Environmental pollution in the city with various wastes, an increasing number of construction sites and poor sanitation at the temporary housing of labourers was creating favorable conditions for the development of mosquitoes to spread dengue fever, he said.

Over the last few months, the weather in Hanoi and the northern provinces has included prolonged rains so there was a high risk of an epidemic.

“Ponds and rainwater tanks, if they aren’t cleaned, will become a very favorable environment for mosquitoes to spread dengue fever,” Cam said.

“Compared to this time last year, the number of dengue fever cases in the city decreased sharply. In early October in 2017, there was a dengue fever epidemic happening in Hanoi.”

However, if local authorities and people in areas where outbreaks of the disease occurred previously didn’t take precautionary measures, there was a risk of another outbreak, the director warned.

Dengue fever is a frequent disease in Hanoi, with an average of 5,000 cases recorded annually. But in 2017, the city recorded over 37,000 cases.

In recent months, many children and students in city have contracted dengue fever, the city Health Department reported. Now there are 149 cases being treated at health centres but so far, no deaths.

Cam said each family needs to raise awareness of disease prevention by ensuring a clean environment and limiting the development of mosquitoes.

More than 28,000 households, 24 construction sites and 70 public places in Hanoi have been chemically treated to prevent dengue fever from spreading.

The Health Department organised training courses for 65 mobile teams on disease prevention.

“Thanks to the role of mobile teams, the city can quickly detect new cases and implement timely measures to localize and stamp out the epidemic,” Cam said.