The National Hospital for Tropical Diseases is struggling to cope with a flood of dengue fever patients who insist on getting treated there, instead of local hospitals and clinics. Dr Nguyen Trung Cap, Head of the Hanoi-based hospital's emergency department, said since the monsoon began in June, the hospital has received nearly 650 dengue patients. In September alone, there were 305 confirmed dengue cases. On average, about 50 to 100 patients are hospitalised for dengue fever each day. The number of the patients has been increasing day by day. However, only 80 patients are being kept at the hospital, including 26 serious ones. "Most of the cases could get treatment at district-level hospitals, instead of rushing to the central hospital, causing a serious patient overload here," he said. In some treatment rooms, three patients were sharing a bed, he said, citing the Virus and Parasitology Department as an example, where 87 dengue patients were sharing 50 beds. Nguyen Tien Lam, Head of the Virus and Parasitology Department, said although doctors explained the situation at the hospital to patients, many insisted on sharing beds to get treatment there. To reduce the patient overload, Head of the Department of Health Check-up and Treatment under the Ministry of Health Luong Ngoc Khue, PhD, asked the hospital to classify patients according to their health treatment and the disease situation in their places of residence to give them proper treatment. The hospital has been asked to prepare a team to support district-level hospitals in the treatment of the disease. The ministry will work with other central hospitals such as Hue General Hospital, HCM City Tropical Hospital, Children No 1 and No 2 hospitals to support local hospitals and health clinics in the treatment and prevention of dengue fever. Dengue fever is a mosquito-borne disease with no known cure or vaccine. The disease is currently at its peak in the country, with 25 deaths and 40,000 confirmed dengue cases. HCM City has the highest number of patients of 9,000.-VNA