Information from Can Tho City Children's Hospital, a final-line pediatric hospital in the Mekong Delta region, the situation of dengue fever and hand, foot and mouth disease in the region continues to be complicated.
Statistics as of the end of August 2026 show that the hospital has received over 2,000 dengue fever cases, an increase of more than 170% compared to the same period. Meanwhile, hand, foot and mouth disease also recorded nearly 2,000 cases, an increase of 69% compared to the same period in 2025.
Both of these diseases have severe progression cases, even pediatric patients have to be placed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
For hand, foot and mouth disease, through reception and treatment, doctors recorded that the strain of Enterovirus A71 (EV71) is prone to dangerous complications, appearing with a rate of about 50%.
In recent years, hand, foot and mouth disease has been circulating year-round, no longer following clear seasonal rules. Because the disease is caused by many different virus strains, a child can get sick 2-3 times, even many times in a year.
Doctors recommend that currently there is no vaccine against hand, foot and mouth disease, parents need to proactively prevent children with many measures.
Accordingly, it is necessary to strictly wash hands regularly with soap; do not allow children to come into contact with sick or suspected patients; identify early signs of danger for immediate hospitalization;...
Parents should take their children to the hospital immediately if one of the dangerous complication warning signs appears such as continuous high fever, startling, crying for no reason, lethargy,...
For dengue fever, vaccines have been deployed in Can Tho City for about 2 years.
Informing reporters, Specialist Doctor II Huynh Thanh Trieu, Head of the Specialized General Clinic, Can Tho Center for Disease Control (CDC) - informed that in recent months, when the number of cases has increased sharply, people have started to proactively go to prevention.
We recommend that people carefully learn about vaccines and consider early vaccination. Investing in vaccination is much more effective than facing risks when the disease becomes severe or dangerous complications appear" - Dr. Trieu said.
Regarding the education sector, Mr. Vo Hong Lam - Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training of Can Tho City shared that in the new school year 2026 - 2027, the Department coordinates with the People's Committees of communes and wards to implement many key tasks.
In addition to ensuring food safety, especially for schools that organize semi-boarding meals and canteens, the Department also coordinates with local health departments in disease prevention and control when students return to school.
