Hanoi (VNA) – A team from t♒he Ministry of Health on August 5 inspected dengue fever prevention efforts in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, which is a hotbed of the mosquito-borne disease at present.

The team examined prevention activities in a number of local communes and wards, including Tra Ba ward which has posted the highest dengue fever incidence in the province’s Pleiku city. They also paid a fact-finding tour to the general hospitals of Pleiku city and Gia Lai province and had a working session with the province’s steering board for epidemic prevention and control. Since the outset of this year, 3,791 dengue fever cases have been reported across Gia Lai, and most of them were recorded in June and July, according to the provincial Department of Health. The sudden outbreak this year is partly attributable to the acute drought, which forced local residents to increase water storage that provides the perfect conditions for mosquitoes to develop. Meanwhile, more than 45 percent of the population is ethnic minority people whose awareness of the disease is still low. Gia Lai has also seen new types of dengue fever that it has not record in the past, due to more transport and connection with other localities. The shortage of medical staff and prevention experience has also led to the ineffective quelling of dengue fever hotbeds, local officials said. The provincial People’s Committee said it has ordered local departments and administrations to ramp up epidemic prevention efforts such as spraying anti-mosquito chemicals and giving intensive training to medical workers. The health ministry’s team asked the authorities to first focus resources on thoroughly dealing with existing hotbeds, augment communications to raise public awareness and conduct regular examination of prevention activities.-VNA