By NewsDesk    @infectiousdiseasenews

Health officials in Vietnam’s most populous city, Ho Chi Minh City (HCM City), aka Saigon have reported more than 24,000 dengue fever cases during the first six months of the year, a 176 percent increase compared tothe same period last year.

Image/Robert Herriman

Official statistics also show the number of cases has increased consistently since the first week of June, coinciding with the arrival of the rainy season in southern Vietnam.

Dong Nai and Binh Phuoc Provinces also in the south have reported the second and third largest number of cases.

In HCM City, the Hospital for Tropical Diseases has admitted 798 patients with the disease since last month, nearly double compared to the same period last year.

Dr Nguyễn Thanh Phong of the hospital said that 20 to 25 patients with dengue fever were hospitalized in May every day. That number has increased to 70 a day.

Nationally, there have been a total of 81,132 cases with four deaths reported year to date, an increase of 3.1 times compared to the same period in 2018 (26,201 cases including six deaths).

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Dengue is a viral infection transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito. There are four closely related but antigenically different serotypes of the virus that can cause dengue (DEN1, DEN 2, DEN 3, DEN 4).

    • Dengue Fever (DF) – marked by an onset of sudden high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, and pain in muscles and joints. Some may also have a rash and varying degree of bleeding from various parts of the body (including nose, mouth and gums or skin bruising).Dengue has a wide spectrum of infection outcome (asymptomatic to symptomatic). Symptomatic illness can vary from dengue fever (DF) to the more serious dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF).

Vietnam also battling anti-vaccine sentiment

 

    • Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) – is a more severe form, seen only in a small proportion of those infected. DHF is a stereotypic illness characterized by 3 phases; febrile phase with high continuous fever usually lasting for less than 7 days; critical phase (plasma leaking) lasting 1-2 days usually apparent when fever comes down, leading to shock if not detected and treated early; convalescence phase lasting 2-5 days with improvement of appetite, bradycardia (slow heart rate), convalescent rash (white patches in red background), often accompanied by generalized itching (more intense in palms and soles), and diuresis (increase urine output).
    • Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) — Shock syndrome is a dangerous complication of dengue infection and is associated with high mortality. Severe dengue occurs as a result of secondary infection with a different virus serotype. Increased vascular permeability, together with myocardial dysfunction and dehydration, contribute to the development of shock, with resultant multiorgan failure.

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