About 80 percent of dengue fever cases and 100 percent of deaths caused by the disease in Vietnam this year were recorded in southern localities, according to a Ho Chi Minh City-based health expert.

The Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City held on Monday a conference on strengthening the prevention of dengue fever in southern Vietnam, which was attended by representatives of disease control centers in 20 southern provinces and cities.

Vietnam’s dengue fever cases and deaths mainly occur in southern provinces, Dr. Luong Chan Quang, deputy head of the institute’s department of disease control and prevention, said at the event.

The southern region has documented over 39,300 patients since the beginning of 2022, accounting for about 80 percent of the national tally, Quang elaborated.

The region has recorded 36 fatalities, accounting for 100 percent of the country’s deaths caused by the disease.

The numbers of patients and deaths have been rising rapidly, he stated, adding that dengue fever cases in the past four weeks have accounted for 50 percent of the total reported so far this year.

The number of children dying from this disease is higher than that of adults, going against the situation in previous years.

Severe cases have also spiked and are expected to be higher than the same period in the last two years.

Nguyen Huu Hung, deputy director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, said that the agency has organized training sessions for health workers, examined local outbreaks, and called on private health facilities to assist in dengue fever treatment.

Local residents should join hands with authorities in preventing the disease, Hung stressed.

The Ministry of Health is ready to support southern localities in the prevention of dengue fever, as well as COVID-19, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong said at the conference.

Health departments are advised to provide training for private medical facilities aside from public hospitals in order to boost the treatment capacity.

Local administrations should expend the necessary budget in the prevention of dengue fever, Huong continued, adding that they need to raise residents’ awareness about the prevention and control of the disease.

Competent authorities must closely monitor and properly handle local outbreaks, as well as clean up the environment by killing mosquitoes and mosquito larvae, the official stated.

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