Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has instructed health officials to take
firm measures to combat dengue fever, which has claimed 42 lives so far
this year out of 55,400 cases reported nationwide.
Dung
asked provincial and municipal People's Committee chairmen to mobilise
all available forces to mitigate the spread of the disease and to
closely monitor affected areas to prevent the further spread of the
disease.
The Prime Minister instructed health officials to
send aid and personnel to affected localities, where they will assist
and inspect the implementation of measures to stamp out the disease.
Local health clinics have been required to prepare essential
prescriptions and equipment to promptly treat dengue fever patients to
prevent potential fatalities.
The PM asked the Ministry of
Information and Communications to improve public awareness about
preventive measures and counter inaccurate information about dengue
fever.
He urged the Ministry of Education and Training to
mobilise pupils nationwide to join campaigns to kill mosquitoes - the
main carrier of the disease - in their houses and public places.
Dung also asked for the establishment of a steering committee for
dengue fever prevention and control at all levels during the 24 hours
following a reported outbreak.
The PM would consider the
establishment of the national steering committee following suggestions
from the health ministry, while People's Committee chairmen will be
responsible for determining the establishment of committees at
provincial level.
The Health Ministry reported that there
was a high possibility of dengue fever further spreading in localities
including Hanoi , HCM City , central Da Nang City , central Thua
Thien-Hue province and the Central Highland provinces of Dak Lak, Dac
Nong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum.
Ha Noi reported that the disease had hit 27 out of the city's 29 districts.
Doctor Trinh Thi Ngoc, head of Bach Mai Hospital 's Infectious
Diseases Faculty Hanoi, warned of possible side effects without prompt
treatment such as internal bleeding, brain haemorrhaging and vomiting
blood.
The rainy season, which lasts from July to
November, is considered the peak season for the disease, as it creates
favourable breeding grounds for mosquitoes to develop, said doctor Kieu
Quoc Khanh from the Hanoi Transport Hospital .
In
August alone, the whole country recorded 19,577 patients and 11 deaths
in 54 cities and provinces, according to reports from the Preventive
Medicine Department.
The number of patients hospitalised
in HCM City in the first two weeks of this month increased 30
percent, in comparison with the same period in previous months.
Children's Hospital No 2 reported that it had received 555 dengue fever
patients since the start of this month, and on average was receiving
between 15-30 patients a day.
The preventive medicine
department said it was working with relevant agencies to take preventive
measures in key localities since early this year, focusing on cleaning
the environment and killing mosquitoes./.