Ho Chi Minh City forecasts dengue fever and hand, foot and mouth disease to continue to increase rapidly

SGGPO 07/06/2023 10:08

Forecasting that the epidemic situation would increase, the health sector proactively deployed a series of disease prevention measures since May and focused many activities in June.

Staff of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control check dengue fever prevention work in Binh Tan district.

On July 6, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health announced that in June 2023, the number of dengue fever (DF) and hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) cases both increased. Specifically, in June, the whole city recorded 758 cases of dengue fever, bringing the total number of cases in the first 6 months of 2023 to 8,519 cases (down 61.5% compared to the same period in 2022), with no deaths due to dengue fever recorded (12 cases were recorded in the same period in 2022). The admission and treatment situation in June was 331 cases of dengue fever.

Currently, there are 111 cases being treated as inpatients, including 10 severe dengue cases (the proportion of severe patients transferred from the province accounts for about 70%, due to exceeding the treatment capacity), and 4 cases are on ventilators. The number of outbreaks recorded in the first 6 months of 2023 decreased by 62% compared to the same period in 2022.

Although the number of cases and outbreaks this year is lower than last year, there have been signs that the epidemic has started to increase since week 24. The number of cases in June was higher than in May.

“According to the annual epidemic progression in the city, the peak season of dengue fever has begun to increase in the 24th week, will increase in July and is expected to last until the end of October every year. Meanwhile, through monitoring risk points, the rate of detecting mosquito larvae at monitored risk points is nearly 48% (49/103 points), this is an alarming number, this rate will be higher when there is more rain and there are no drastic measures to control risk points”, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health commented.

Regarding hand and foot lice, in June, 2,690 cases were recorded, including 569 inpatients and 2,121 outpatients. Of the 569 hospitalized cases, 118 were severe (the proportion of patients transferred from other provinces accounted for nearly 76%) and all were children under 6 years old. No deaths due to hand and foot lice were recorded in Ho Chi Minh City.

The number of HFMD cases has been increasing continuously since week 19, and the number of severe cases has also increased. The number of cases in June is much higher than the number of cases every month from January to May. In addition, the total number of HFMD outbreaks in the first 6 months is 125 (70 outbreaks in schools and 55 outbreaks in the community), 2 times higher than the same period in 2022 (64 outbreaks). The total number of HFMD cases in the first 6 months of 2023 is 4,500 cases (47% lower than the same period in 2022).

Although the number of cases is lower than the same period last year, the cause of the disease is Enterovirus (EV71) - a highly virulent virus strain that can cause serious illness and even death, and is the cause of major epidemics in 2011 and 2018. The health sector predicts that the number of cases and severe cases will continue to increase in the coming weeks and may last if drastic measures are not taken to prevent the disease.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, in anticipation of an increase in the epidemic situation, the health sector has proactively implemented a series of disease prevention measures since May and focused on many activities in June.

To reduce the number of dengue cases, one of the important solutions is to correctly classify and thoroughly handle the risk points of epidemics in the area. In addition, organize training courses on treatment as well as disease prevention interventions in the community.

Continue to apply the stratified model to the admission and treatment of dengue fever, strengthen and maintain the activities of the Dengue Fever Treatment Expert Team of the Department of Health to receive timely advice and support for treatment; at the same time, continue to implement the red alert procedure for dengue fever patients.

“The City Center for Disease Control has increased monitoring of dengue risk points. All risk points with mosquito larvae have been instructed by the Health Stations to conduct general cleaning, cleanup, and disposal of containers, and will be re-monitored after a week. Risk points that do not comply with handling instructions will be penalized according to Decree 117/2020/ND-CP,” the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health informed.

For areas at risk of having mosquito larvae and difficult to handle, the Department of Health has officially notified the People's Committees of Districts 3, 6, 12, Phu Nhuan, Binh Chanh, Hoc Mon, Nha Be, Go Vap, Binh Tan, and Thu Duc City for direction on handling.

In addition, the Department of Health has developed a scenario for responding to the TCM epidemic, including 3 levels, implementing treatment stratification with the bottom level being specialized hospitals for children and hospitals for tropical diseases. At the same time, a TCM treatment expert team has been established to strengthen consultations for severe cases requiring transfer or difficult cases with units (in the city and southern provinces/cities) to ensure safe transfer.

To prevent dengue fever, each person and each household must proactively seek out and eliminate breeding grounds for mosquitoes that transmit the disease. When people discover risk points, they can report them to the online health application.

To prevent TCM, caregivers and children need to regularly wash their hands, clean children's belongings, toys, tables, chairs, floors, etc. If parents detect signs of illness in their children, they should take them to a medical facility for examination.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tphcm-du-bao-dich-sot-xuat-huyet-va-tay-chan-mieng-tiep-tuc-tang-nhanh-post696341.html