HANOI, Jun 14 (NNN-VNA) – Vietnam’s southern region, reported more than 39,300 dengue fever infections, with 36 deaths from the disease so far this year.
Among the infections, nearly 1,200 were severe cases, according to Doctor Luong Chan Quang from Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute.
The number of infections doubled that of the same period last year, he said, at a meeting on dengue prevention and control, held yesterday.
Half of the infections and 45 percent of the total deaths have been recorded in the past four weeks.
Ho Chi Minh City was the hotspot with around 12,000 cases and eight deaths, followed by the provinces of Binh Duong, An Giang and Dong Nai, which have all witnessed an increasing number of infections, according to the news report.
The widespread of the disease is caused by the shortage of chemical insecticide, and a lack of funding and personnel for dengue prevention and control, Quang said.
Deputy Minister of Health, Nguyen Thi Lien Huong said, measures must focus on communication, sanitation, infection monitoring, mosquito-wiping and the training for health workers in the private economic sector.
