Children under treatment for dengue fever at Children’s Hospital No. 1 in Ho Chi Minh City Friday

The Ministry of Health has warned that the coming rains could bring about a resurgence in dengue fever as 26 people have already been killed by the mosquito-borne illness so far this year.

He warned the rainy season could bring more deaths. Some 25,700 people have contracted dengue fever in Vietnam so far this year, 25 percent more than the same period last year, according to the ministry.

Nga said the fact that Mekong Delta residents often stored their water in large open containers had contributed to the increase in mosquito populations that transmit the dengue virus. The health ministry warns about this problem every year.

Nga also said that all four known strains of the virus had been detected in Vietnam and that a patient could contract more than one type, making the sickness more difficult to diagnose.

The Bureau for Preventive Health and Environment is inspecting anti-dengue measures in 15 cities and provinces with high infection rates.

The inspectors are expected to submit detailed reports on the causes of the outbreaks complete with instructions on how to boost preventive measures.

Fever in the southland

The HCMC Pasteur Institute has reported 20,967 cases of dengue fever in 20 central and southern cities and provinces from Da Nang to Ca Mau as of June 21, 23.4 percent higher than the same period last year, Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper reported.

Of the cases, 23 had died, seven in Ho Chi Minh City and the rest in the Mekong Delta. Some provinces had infection rates that tripled last year’s figures.

Health authorities in Tien Giang Province have reported an abnormal increase in dengue infections with one dead and more than 900 patients hospitalized so far this year.

Soc Trang Province in the delta has also reported an increase of dengue patients, with around 150 new cases hospitalized every week recently.

In the first six months, Soc Trang admitted 2,380 dengue patients to hospitals. The disease killed five children in the province so far this year while only two dengue patients died in Soc Trang in the whole of 2008.

Meanwhile, there have been 4,649 dengue cases recorded in HCMC over the first six months this year, Saigon Tiep Thi newspaper reported.

The paper said there had been more recorded cases of hemoconcentration, a loss of fluidity in the blood, and bleeding due to the disease.

HCMC-based Children’s Hospital No. 1 said it had admitted more than 100 patients on Wednesday, including 23 cases in critical condition.

Children’s Hospital No. 2 in the city said it had admitted an average of 90 cases a day this week, doubling figures from last week.

The city’s Department of Health said many patients were from districts 8, Binh Thanh and Thu Duc.

Doctor Le Bich Lien, head of the dengue fever ward at Children’s Hospital No. 1, said 90 percent of all patients were under 15 years old. Around 85 percent of the children’s conditions would worsen, she said.

She also advised parents to take their children to the hospital if they had high temperatures, adding that dengue fever could easily be mistaken with common viral fever.

The disease often gets much worse after the symptoms show, which often takes several days after contraction, and patients could suffer internal bleeding, muscle contractions and breathing difficulties.

After 2-3 days of infection, a dengue patient may regain a normal temperature but the illness then becomes worse with a rash and signs of fatigue, cold limbs, clammy skin, bleeding of the nose, gums and even bloody vomit or feces. After about a week, the worst cases enter Dengue Shock Syndrome, Lien said which could damage internal organs or become fatal if the patient is not treated properly.

Source: Agencies