Cases of dengue fever on rise in Vietnam
25/11/2008 16:55
Incidences of dengue fever is on the rise in Vietnam nationwide in 2008,
with the estimated number of cases contracted dengue fever to over 78,000, the
local newspaper Liberty Sai Gon reported today.
In November alone, Vietnam
registered 15,000 new cases of dengue fever infections in 40 out of 64 provinces
and cities, 15 of which were fatal, Health Minister Nguyen Quoc Trieu said,
quoted by the daily.
Up till now, Vietnam has seen 79 deaths from 78,512
dengue fever cases nationwide this year. The death rate from dengue fever thus
has increased by 13 cases over the same period last year, according to the
ministry's statistics.
The recent floods in northern provinces and the
ongoing floods in central and southern provinces of Vietnam have created
stagnant bodies of water and perfect breeding grounds for the mosquitoes,
causing the disease spread.
To eliminate the disease, Vietnam has taken
drastic measures, including ensuring environmental hygiene and intensifying
publicity on acute diarrhea, especially in flood-hit localities.
Xinhua
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