Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Dengue feverinfections could spike nationwide if drastic measures to control thedisease are not taken, the Ministry of Health has warned.

According to the ministry, since thebeginning of this year, dengue fever has been reported in almost all localitiesin Vietnam.

By the middle of last month, nearly 30,000dengue cases had been reported in 58 provinces and cities, of which, threepeople in the provinces of Binh Dinh, Binh Phuoc and Tay Ninh died of thedisease.

Up to this week, 12 provinces and citiesacross the country, namely Nghe An, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, QuangNam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ben Tre, HCM City and Hanoi,reported new dengue cases weekly.

In the last six months, Hanoi confirmed 634dengue cases in 28 out of 30 its districts and 198 out of 579 communes/wards.

Hanoi’s major dengue outbreaks are Tam Hiep communein Phuc Tho district (182 cases), Khanh Ha commune in Thuong Tin district (48cases) and Thanh Thuy commune in Thanh Oai district (44 cases).

According to the city’s Health Department,the number of dengue cases of this year is fewer than that in the same periodof last year but in the last few weeks, the number has been increasing.

The central province of Ha Tinh on July 6announced the first outbreak of dengue fever appeared in the province this year.

At least six people in Tan Thanh hamlet, KyNam commune, Ky Anh town in the province were confirmed to have dengue, NguyenChi Thanh, vice head of the province’s Centre for Diseases Control said.

The first reported case was a 41-year-oldwoman who returned from Quang Binh province which also reported cases of dengue.

Thanh said that as soon as the outbreak wasdetected, local authorities cleaned the environment and sprayed chemicals tokill mosquitoes and local residents were examined at the commune’s healthcentre.

The health ministry last week askedlocalities to speed up activities to kill larvae to once a week inhigh-risk areas where dengue cases were reported and twice a week in areas witha high density of mosquitoes/larvae.

Doctor Pham Trung Cap, head of the EmergencyDepartment at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said denguefever had two common complications – a decrease in platelet counts anddangerously low blood pressure.

When a patient suffered from a low level ofblood platelets, they would not feel fatigued so people easily ignoretheir symptoms until massive bleeding appeared. With dangerously low bloodpressure, patients usually felt very fatigued, pain in the liver area,vomiting and drowsiness lasting for 24 to 48 hours.

Cap said both complications were dangerous topatients. Bleeding could be seen easily but other complications were hard tosee.

“Finding early warning signals ofcomplications is very important,” Cap said, adding that patients must go to thehospital at once when they see symptoms of bleeding, continuously vomiting,severe stomachache, unconsciousness, cold hands/feet or breathing difficulties.

People who continued having a high feverafter taking medicine should also go to the hospital as soon as possible, Capsaid.

According to the Health Ministry, on average,Vietnam reports more than 100,000 dengue cases yearly. However, last year,the number hit 320,331 cases, the highest figure in the last 32 years, with 53deaths./.