Many cases of late hospitalization
Although warned that the number of dengue fever cases will increase in 2025, there are still many cases where parents have difficulty detecting early signs of the initial disease in children. Taking children to the hospital late makes the condition serious and difficult to handle.
Due to difficult family circumstances, when Q (12 years old) had a fever, Ms. N.T.H (Can Tho City) could only buy medicine for him to drink. Unexpectedly, the child was still lying on the stomach, with a higher fever and had to be hospitalized at Can Tho Children's Hospital for treatment.
"I really didn't know my nephew was likely to get dengue fever because I saw him growing up and his resistance was also high. Now I can only focus on taking care of my grandchild and don't know what else to do" - Ms. H said.
Ms. D.T.B.T's child (Dong Thap province) had a dengue fever for the second time with more obvious signs than the first time. In addition to high fever and difficulty eating, the child also had dry lips and was fascinated.
"If the child accidentally enters the shock phase, it is dangerous, we follow the doctor's instructions, give him a lot of water to achieve the best results" - Ms. T said.
Through practical work, Dr. CKII Nguyen Huynh Nhat Truong - Head of the Dengue Fever Department of Can Tho Children's Hospital - advised "When the child enters the hospital late, the child is in shock, at this time treatment for the doctor is very difficult. Therefore, if the child shows strange signs, the family should admit him to the hospital, and if the child shows unusual signs, he/she should be treated immediately".
Doctor CKI Pham Tan Dat - Department of Tropical Diseases of Can Tho Central General Hospital - informed that currently, dengue fever in adults is also progressing severely, with dangerous complications such as hepatitis, shock leading to low blood pressure... Therefore, all people, especially people with underlying diseases, should not be subjective to this disease.
alarming figures
The Can Tho City Center for Disease Control said that in Can Tho, an average of 40 cases of dengue fever are recorded each month of the year. In June, the number of dengue fever cases increased to approximately 100 cases. From July to now, this number has skyrocketed to nearly 200 cases per month.
From the beginning of the year to October 22, Can Tho has recorded more than 3,470 cases of dengue fever; Can Tho Children's Hospital - the final destination of pediatric medicine in the Mekong Delta - in the first 6 months of 2025, has treated 554 cases of dengue fever as inpatients, an increase of 51% (severe dengue fever increased by 34% compared to the same period in 2024).
According to Dr. Huynh Minh Truc - Director of the Center for Disease Control of Can Tho City, the number of severe dengue fever cases is increasing in both children and adults, showing that the virus is still circulating strongly in the community.
Children are more likely to shock due to weak walls, the most serious complication of which is death shock is about 20-25%, usually occurring on the 4-5th day of the disease.
In adults, the disease rarely progresses to shock complications, but bleeding is often more severe, especially gastrointestinal bleeding, which is prolonged and easily fatal.
In Dong Thap, the provincial Center for Disease Control statistics show that the total number of dengue fever cases accumulated from the beginning of 2025 to week 41 is 5,671 cases, an increase of 113.3% over the same period in 2024 (2,659 cases). Although the chart shows signs of a slight decrease after the peak (36 - 39 weeks), actual data continues to be supplemented, so the downtrend is unclear, warning of the risk of an outbreak. In Vinh Long, the number of dengue fever cases is also increasing sharply.
According to the newspaper, the dengue fever epidemic in Vietnam is entering a complicated phase. Due to the habit of storing water and the continuous and longer entrance to the rainy season, it contributes to creating an ideal environment for epidemics.
