Hanoi has seen an upsurge in dengue hospitalizations over the past four weeks, becoming one of the biggest dengue hotspots in Vietnam.

The capital city has reported around 500 dengue cases each of the weeks, rising 4.3-fold against the average figure in the preceding four weeks.

Dengue fever will likely continue to spread and become more complicated in the coming time as the mosquito-borne disease arrived earlier than previous years, said the Hanoi Center for Disease Control.

Many hospitals in the city have been grappling with the soaring number of dengue fever cases over the past few days.

Hanoi has recorded 3,180 dengue fever cases, a 5.7-fold year-on-year surge, according to the General Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health.

Hospital E admits about 20 dengue-infected patients each day, while Vietnam National Children’s Hospital has been treating several child patients seriously ill with dengue.

V.H., an eight-year-old boy in Hanoi, was taken to the hospital suffering from a high fever, body pains, vomiting, rashes, and headaches.

Dr. Nguyen Van Lam, director of the tropical disease center at Vietnam National Children’s Hospital, said that after undergoing a 10-day treatment regimen, H. recovered.

Dr. Dao Van Cao at Hospital E advised residents who run a high fever to visit a healthcare center for a medical check-up.

Dengue fever can result in mild to serious symptoms, so patients and parents of child patients should not be inattentive or negligent, he added.

Each year, Hanoi usually sees a dengue outbreak from October to December, but this year, the disease has arrived early.

Dr. Nguyen Van Dung, head of the entomology department at the National Institute of Malariology, Parasitology and Entomology, said that Hanoi is likely to become the biggest hotspot for dengue fever in Vietnam this year due to its high population density and the rapid spread of the disease.

In the first half of this year, the number of dengue infections in the northern region climbed over 60 percent year on year. Hanoi is among the major dengue hotspots in the region, Dr. Dung said.

The number of dengue infections in Hanoi is expected to keep surging, as heatwaves and high levels of rainfall create an ideal condition for mosquitoes.

The municipal Department of Health is taking drastic measures to fight dengue fever, calling on residents to protect themselves and visit healthcare centers if they exhibits symptoms of the disease. 

Many have used chemicals to kill mosquitoes as a way to prevent dengue fever, but Dr. Dung advises residents not to buy chemical products of unclear origin to avoid harming their health.

Dengue infections in Ho Chi Minh City inch up

Since the start of 2023, Ho Chi Minh City has logged more than 10,000 dengue fever cases, according to the municipal Department of Health.

Up to 40 new cases are reported each day.

The Ho Chi Minh Center for Disease Control said that the number of dengue infections in the latest week increased 18.8 percent against the average of four weeks earlier.

Several children infected by dengue fever and in critical condition are receiving treatment at City Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, head of the dengue and hematology department at Children's Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Sunday that the department is treating some 25 child patients infected by dengue fever, with 10 percent of them in critical condition.

Since the start of the year, the country has documented 57,295 dengue cases and 13 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The numbers of dengue hospitalizations and deaths are predicted to continue on an upward trend.

The ministry urged the provincial and municipal departments of health to strengthen anti-dengue measures, while proposing the provincial and municipal People’s Committees allocate funding for the fight against the disease.

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