People worry about the sharp increase in the number of cases
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) of Vinh Long, since the beginning of the year, the whole province has recorded 6,818 cases of dengue fever, of which 123 were severe (1.8%) and one death, an increase of 2.55 times over the same period.
The disease is complicated, especially during the rainy season, creating a favorable environment for disease-carrying mosquitoes. At the same time, hand, foot and mouth disease also recorded 4,635 cases, an increase of 18.7% over the same period in 2024, causing increased pressure on the health system.
This development has made many families in the province worried. In recent days, Mr. Nguyen Van Hai (Trung Thanh commune) has been busy taking his daughter with dengue fever for treatment. He said that in the early days, the child had a continuous fever, so the family took him to the health station and was given medicine to drink but it did not improve. On the third day, when the signs of the disease did not subside, he had to take his child to Vinh Long General Hospital for monitoring.
"My child had a fever until the 6th day, he was tired so the whole family was very worried. This year, hearing that the disease has increased, I am worried that there will be a lack of medicine for treatment as well as the most fearful thing is having to share a bed with 2-3 people" - Mr. Hai shared.
Not only Mr. Hai's family, many other parents are in a similar mood.
Mr. Nguyen Van Lu (Nhon Phu commune) said that the area where he lives has recorded many cases of dengue fever recently, causing people to worry.
"When the rainy season comes, there are many mosquitoes. I am just afraid that the number of cases will increase sharply, not knowing if the hospital will have enough beds or not if there is overload" - Mr. Lu said. In the context of the continuous increase in cases and the risk of an outbreak in the community, people's concerns show that disease prevention in households is still limited, and awareness of removing water containers is not uniform in many residential areas.
Ensuring hospital beds and coordinating education and health care to prevent the spread of the epidemic
Faced with the rapid increase in the disease, Dr. Tran Chi Cong - Head of the Department of Pediatrics, Vinh Long General Hospital - said that the department has proactively prepared medicine, medical supplies and arranged enough treatment beds since the beginning of the year. The department currently has a total of 115 beds, including 2 separate rooms for treating severe hand, foot and mouth disease and 1 room for treating severe dengue fever, each room has 15 beds.
"During peak days, the number of children hospitalized increased, but we still arranged enough beds and human resources to closely monitor the progress, following the correct schedule of the Ministry of Health" - Mr. Cong said. The department also rotates the flow appropriately, ensuring that seriously ill children receive safe care and limit cross-infection.
Talking to Lao Dong, Dr. Ho Thi Thu Hang - Director of Vinh Long Department of Health - said that the whole province recorded an average of 200 new cases per week, including many serious cases. Ms. Hang emphasized that the health sector has strengthened monitoring, handling outbreaks and ensuring enough medicine, medical supplies and hospital beds at all facilities, ready to receive patients safely and promptly. The Department also coordinates with the Education sector to deploy disease prevention propaganda at schools. Teachers are instructed to clean the classroom, wash toys, remove water containers - where mosquitoes breed, and early detection of signs of suspicion in students to report to the health station.
Schools are places with a large concentration of young people, coordination helps control the epidemic more proactively and widely - she emphasized.
The health sector continues to recommend that people actively kill mosquito larvae, clean the environment and take children to medical facilities immediately when the fever is continuous or has unusual signs for timely examination and treatment. These proactive measures help limit the spread of diseases, reduce pressure on the health system and protect public health during the epidemic season.
