Closely monitor dengue fever outbreak in Hung Long

(Baonghean) - As of the afternoon of September 28, there were 18 patients with dengue fever in Hung Long commune (Hung Nguyen). Although the health sector and local authorities have made efforts to treat patients and implement measures to control the outbreak, the risk of the epidemic spreading may still remain...

On the afternoon of September 28, we were present at Hung Long Commune (Hung Nguyen), which is considered the epicenter of dengue fever in this area. In Hamlet 7, district health workers are directing the Commune Health Center to spray, spread insecticide and disinfect mosquito larvae. At the Commune Health Station, there are still 7 cases of dengue fever being actively treated. Since the first case of dengue fever appeared on September 18, the whole commune has recorded 18 cases, of which 11 have recovered.

Baby Phan Hong Quan (Hamlet 7B, Hung Long Commune) has dengue fever and is being treated at the Commune Health Station.

But it is worth mentioning that there are new cases every day. On September 27, there were 3 cases, on September 28, there were 2 new cases. Faced with the complicated epidemic situation, local people are quite confused and worried. Ms. Phan Thi Loan (Hamlet 7B) has a 3-year-old child who has had dengue fever for 2 days and is being treated at the commune health station. She said that when her child had a fever, her family took her to the health station and found out that her child had dengue fever. "Currently, my child still has a high fever, is tired, has a headache, and has a poor appetite. I have to take time off work to stay home to take care of my child, worry about feeding and drinking him, and I am afraid he will be exhausted," said Ms. Loan.

According to our investigation, dengue fever cases are concentrated in hamlets 9A and 7A, with some scattered cases in hamlets 7B and 8. Of the 18 dengue fever cases in Hung Long commune at the time we were there, 17 were students and children aged 15 and under. Local people are concerned that the disease will continue to spread in the school environment. Mr. Nguyen Van Binh (hamlet 7A) whose child, Nguyen Thi Phuong, is in grade 9 at Le Xuan Dao Secondary School, said: “My eldest child had to stay home from school for 3 days because of dengue fever. But I am very worried that my younger child, who is in secondary school, and other family members will also be infected.”

As soon as 3 cases of dengue fever appeared on September 18, Hung Long commune directed medical staff to actively admit, classify patients and isolate them for treatment. Mr. Ho Van Hung, Head of Hung Long Commune Health Station, said that the People's Committee of the commune had issued a document directing hamlet health workers and private medical facilities not to treat patients at home. The commune health station coordinated with hamlet health workers to actively educate people about dengue fever; at the same time, instructing people to go to the health station immediately for timely treatment if they have signs of the disease.

Spraying pesticides to prevent and control epidemics in Hung Long commune (Hung Nguyen)

Currently, the health sector is actively working to contain the epidemic and handle environmental pollution. Mr. Chu Trong Trang, Deputy Director of the Provincial Center for Preventive Medicine, said: Over the past month, the Department of Health has issued many documents directing the District Health Center, in coordination with local health stations, to strengthen prevention and control of dengue fever. On September 25, the Department of Health continued to establish an inspection team to go to Hung Long commune to directly direct the locality to isolate and suppress the epidemic. The Provincial Center for Preventive Medicine has provided 70 liters of adult mosquito spray and more than 300 packages of medicine to disinfect water sources in ponds and ditches, and kill mosquito larvae to limit the spread of the disease. Up to now, Hung Long commune has deployed spraying and spreading medicine to prevent epidemics in 3 hamlets, and it is expected that on September 29, the spraying will be completed in 5 hamlets 7A, 7B, 9A, 9B, hamlet 8 and schools in the area.

To prevent dengue fever from spreading to other communes, Hung Nguyen district is increasing the number of medical staff directly going to the hamlet with the epidemic and neighboring hamlets of Hung Long commune to monitor and investigate the outbreak. The district health center, in coordination with Hung Long commune, organized an environmental sanitation campaign in the hamlet, treated mosquito larvae in each household, encouraged people to release fish into water tanks, focused on reducing mosquito breeding grounds, and killed mosquito larvae in the community; at the same time, propagated and educated people on disease prevention and control, closely monitored patients and mosquitoes that transmit dengue fever...

Thus, from the end of August until now, the province has recorded 3 dengue fever outbreaks in the following communes: Quynh Ngoc (Quynh Luu) with 14 cases, Hung Linh (Hung Nguyen) with 10 cases and currently Hung Long (Hung Nguyen) commune has recorded 18 cases. Faced with the complicated developments of the disease, the health sector has stepped up measures to prevent the spread of the disease. It is forecasted that in the coming time, the weather will be complicated, creating favorable conditions for mosquitoes to breed and develop. Therefore, doctors and medical staff recommend that, in addition to the efforts of the health sector, people need to raise awareness and proactively prevent and control the disease to protect themselves.

Article and photos:

Dinh Nguyet