The city plans to discuss fresh anti-dengue fever measures with all its districts today, with evidence emerging that a usual drop in cases at this time of the year is being reversed.

There are more than 500 new cases every week, mainly from Tan Binh, Thu Duc and Binh Thanh Districts, Giang said.

“The problem is many citizens don’t care about preventing dengue fever. Most of the city residents don’t use mosquito nets when sleeping and some even don’t allow medical workers to come inside their houses to spray mosquito pesticides.”

Of the 166 inpatients at the Children Hospital No. 2’s Infectious Disease Department Monday, 102 had been diagnosed with dengue fever and many of them were in critical condition.

Many suffered from hemorrhaging, loss of consciousness, respiratory failure, and abnormal liver, kidney and brain functions.

The mosquito-borne disease, a common disease in developing countries, is marked by high fever, dermal eruptions, and severe pain in the head and limbs.

Dr. Huynh Trong Dan of the department said the number of dengue cases usually dropped at this time of the year but the spread of the fever in HCMC has yet to decrease this year.

Most patients came from the outlying districts of Thu Duc, Binh Thanh and District 9, he said.

According to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, there were 93 inpatients with dengue fever Monday, 67 of whom were adults.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Dung said although adult dengue patients rarely suffer from many of the symptoms that children do, they often develop excessive bleeding, which is especially dangerous to those who have a period.

The city now has the highest number of dengue fever cases nationwide, a local newspaper quoted Head of the Vietnam Administration of Preventive Health Nguyen Huy Nga as saying.

One of the reasons, according to Nga, is the area’s high density of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes – which spreads the disease.

Under infectious disease prevention laws, local People’s Committee chairmen are responsible for preventing dengue outbreaks in their localities, Nga said.

Around 63,000 people have been affected with dengue in Vietnam so far this year. Over 50 have died nationwide, according to the administration.

Reported by Thanh Tung