Nghe An: Dengue fever outbreak remains complex.
(Baonghean.vn) - Despite implementing numerous prevention and control measures, the number of new dengue fever cases has not decreased. The epidemic is developing in a complex manner; it is circulating and increasing rapidly in coastal districts and towns.
The epidemic has not subsided yet.
According to information from the Nghe An Center for Disease Control: From the beginning of the year until now, the province has recorded 1,130 dengue fever patients, including 200 imported cases and 930 local cases. Of all the patients, 2 have died.Dengue feverIt has appeared in 15 locations within the province.
Compared to one week ago (September 8, 2022), Nghe An province has recorded an additional 244 new dengue fever patients, including 20 new imported cases and 224 new local cases. The average number of new local cases per day is 32. This rate is equivalent to the rate of new cases in the first week of September 2022 (the highest since the beginning of 2022)... No new dengue fever cases were reported in any district/city/town.
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Many dengue fever patients are receiving intensive treatment at the Nghe An Center for Tropical Diseases. Photo: Thanh Chung |
Situationdengue feverThe number of cases in the districts/cities/towns is as follows: Quynh Luu has 370 patients, an increase of 111 patients compared to the previous week; Dien Chau has 264 patients, an increase of 73 patients; Nghi Loc has 149 patients, an increase of 9 patients; Hoang Mai has 66 patients, an increase of 15 patients; Hung Nguyen has 20 patients, an increase of 2 patients; Yen Thanh has 19 patients, an increase of 5 patients.
Thanh Chuong has 18 patients, an increase of 5; Anh Son has 12 patients, an increase of 2; Quy Hop has 3 patients, no new cases; Nghia Dan has 2 patients, no new cases; Cua Lo has 2 patients, an increase of 1; Do Luong has 2 patients, an increase of 1; Vinh City has 1 patient, no new cases; Quy Chau has 1 patient, no new cases; Con Cuong has 1 patient, no new cases.
Statistics show that the dengue fever situation in Nghe An has not improved, and the epidemic is still developing in a very complex manner. The epidemic is mainly increasing and circulating in localities with previous outbreaks, especially in coastal districts/towns.
Dengue fever is an acute infectious disease caused by the Dengue virus. It is transmitted from person to person by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito. The disease often appears and causes outbreaks during the rainy season, particularly in densely populated areas with poor sanitation. Anyone can contract the disease. When experiencing unusual health symptoms or signs of the disease, people should seek medical attention for timely diagnosis and treatment; self-treatment at home should be avoided.
Disease prevention and control must be more effective.
On September 9th, the People's Committee of Nghe An province held an online meeting to strengthen disease prevention and control efforts in the area in the coming period. The main focus was on implementing solutions to prevent and control dengue fever.
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| Raising awareness about dengue fever among residents in Dien Chau district. Photo: Thanh Chung |
At the meeting, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Bui Dinh Long requested that: Districts, cities, and towns establish and strengthen the Steering Committee for epidemic control at all levels; decisively direct departments, agencies, and organizations to participate in the prevention and control of dengue fever; and develop and implement a plan for "Controlling dengue fever outbreak risk points" in their localities.
Districts, cities, and towns need to continue to promote the integration of environmental sanitation and disease prevention activities into other routine activities; implement practical activities to communicate dengue fever prevention; regularly inspect and strictly handle individuals, units, and organizations that deliberately fail to implement dengue fever prevention guidelines; and proactively allocate their own budgets to carry out disease prevention tasks.
Following the directives of the Provincial People's Committee, localities are currently urgently implementing measures to prevent and control dengue fever. Mr. Thai Phan At, Director of the Dien Chau District Health Center, said: The entire district currently has 9 communes and towns that have recorded dengue fever patients, of which 3 communes have gone 14 days without new patients (Dien Loc, Dien Lam, and Dien Hong). The 6 communes and towns with new patients are: Dien Thanh, Dien Thinh, Dien Chau town, Dien Ngoc, Dien Bich, and Dien Tan.
Dien Chau district has been actively directing all communes and towns to continue strengthening the dengue fever prevention and control steering committee, assigning specific tasks to each member; developing prevention and control plans suitable to the local situation; strengthening regular environmental sanitation and immediately after the end of floods, clearing drains and ditches, and eliminating breeding grounds.Discard mosquito larvae; spray chemicals to kill adult mosquitoes; strengthen communication and mobilize the public to participate in practicing dengue fever prevention measures, avoid mosquito bites, and not self-medicate; mobilize the entire political system to participate in decisive leadership and mobilize all resources for effective disease prevention and control; assign responsibility to the heads of Party committees and governments in dengue fever prevention and control.
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| Spraying chemicals to kill adult mosquitoes to prevent dengue fever. Photo: Thanh Chung |
Similarly, Hoang Mai town has also been strengthening disease prevention and control measures to prevent the spread of the disease within the town. Mr. Ho Sy Duong, Director of the Hoang Mai Town Health Center, said: The town is stepping up the implementation of environmental sanitation measures and eliminating breeding grounds for the disease.Throwing mosquito larvae, carrying out environmental treatment with chemicals in key areas such as markets, collective kitchens, restaurants... in 10 communes.In all wards of the town, especially in the four wards currently experiencing local dengue fever cases, local authorities are directed to proactively prepare chemicals for immediate spraying upon detection of cases to break the chain of transmission; and to strengthen communication to educate the public on how to prevent and control the disease.
Overall, at this time, localities in the province are actively implementing dengue fever prevention measures. However, statistics show that the disease prevention and control efforts have not yet met the set requirements.
Nghe An province has just entered the rainy season (conditions suitable for the introduction, growth, and development of dengue fever vectors), so the risk of a dengue fever outbreak is very high. All levels of government, relevant agencies, and the entire population need to continue to uphold the principle that "the risk of dengue fever outbreaks is always present everywhere, therefore proactive dengue prevention is a regular task for every individual and organization," in order to achieve higher effectiveness in prevention and control.
Currently, there is no specific treatment or vaccine for dengue fever. Therefore, the most effective preventive measure is to avoid mosquito bites. People should sleep under mosquito nets, treat them with insecticide, spray mosquito repellent, and burn mosquito coils indoors. In addition, it is necessary to keep houses clean, clear bushes around the house, collect waste, and unclog drains; eliminate mosquito larvae in water containers and turn over unused water containers; and regularly clean stagnant water ponds and puddles. Everyone needs to remember: No mosquitoes, no dengue fever. Mosquito control eliminates the intermediate vector that transmits the disease from sick people to healthy people; it also eliminates the source of the disease, as mosquitoes are capable of transmitting the Dengue virus to future generations.
