The recent outbreaks of dengue fever have made thousands of people in the central and Central Highland region ill, while cholera continues spreading throughout Thanh Hoa, HCM City, and Hanoi.

Spraying mosquito repellent chemical in Gia Lai province.

In the central province of Phu Yen, 730 cases of dengue fever have been recorded and 1 death has been has been confirmed in Tuy Hoa City. Phu Yen Chair on July 8 announced a dengue fever pandemic in the province.

The virus has also spread to Pleiku and some districts in Gia Lai province. In the last month, nearly 200 people have been hospitalized for dengue fever, with one death. Pleiku General Hospital is overloaded with dengue fever patients.

In Binh Dinh province, 676 people have been diagnosed as having dengue fever, double last year’s figure. Two children have died. In Kon Tum, 110 people have caught the disease.

Quang Ngai province has reported 677 cases, 2.5-fold more than the same period of last year. Most patients live in Quang Ngai city and the districts of Duc Pho and Son Tinh.

Quy Nhon Institute for Malaria-Parasite-Entomology has joined with Nha Trang Pasteur Institute to supervise the disease and assist the central provinces to halt its spread.

In the first half of 2010, Vietnam had nearly 20,000 dengue fever patients, including 20 deaths. Compared to the same period of 2009, the number of cases fell by 25 percent, but increased in the central and southern regions.

There were 520 cases in the northern provinces in the first half of 2010, 80 percent of whom were from Hanoi.

On July 7, the Preventive Medicine and the Environment Agency confirmed some cholera cases in Vietnam, including 1 in the central province of Thanh Hoa, 3 in HCM City, 2 in the southern province of Bac Lieu and 5 in Hanoi.

Most of the patients claimed to have eaten dog meat, raw vegetables, ice and fruit.

The Ministry of Health has instructed the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and the HCM City Pasteur Institute to help provinces fight cholera by checking cooking and water sources and raising public awareness of preventive measures.

PV