HCM City sees rise in dengue fever cases

Since the beginning of the year, the southern metropolis has recorded a total of 4,500 dengue fever cases, with 109 people being in critical condition as a result of their infection.

This represents an alarming sign amid the growing number of dengue fever cases over the past four months.  In the outbreak of 2019, the city reported more than 20,000 cases, with severe cases standing at only 38, the the department stated.

Phan Vinh Tho, head of the intensive care unit of the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said that the hospital has received between 80 to 100 children with dengue fever every day since early March, with 15% of them requiring hospitalization.

Furthermore, the total number of inpatients suffering from the tropical disease at the hospital has climbed to roughly 100.

Moreover, according to Do Chau Viet, head of the Infection Department at Children's Hospital No 2, the number of dengue fever cases being hospitalised last week doubled compared to the previous two weeks.

On average, between 30 and 35 children with dengue fever are admitted to hospital every day. Of the figure, five to seven are severe cases. Most notably, the children are suffering from multi-organ damage and require mechanical ventilation and dialysis.

Doctors said that the majority of severe cases are due to late hospitalisation admission amid fears of being infected by COVID-19 or receiving the wrong treatment at home as many mistake the disease’s symptoms for COVID-19.

Upon explaining the upsurge in the disease, some experts said that the dengue epidemic occurred every three to four years, with this year expected to be an outbreak year. In addition, the early rainy season has also contributed to the latest outbreak.

To cope with the complicated development relating to dengue fever, the municipal department has requested that all hospitals conduct training and be alert to the early identification of the disease.