Vietnam reports between 25,000-76,000 local people suffering from dengue fever, which results in between 45-111 fatal cases a year, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said at a recent meeting on coping with the disease in Asia-Pacific region. The epidemic is estimated to attack more than 8,000 cases in 40 provinces and cities nationwide since the beginning of the year, including seven deaths, up 4.4% and up 75% on year, respectively, statistics by the health ministry’s Preventive Medicine Department showed. The average number of dengue fever sufferers is estimated at 500 cases per week in the year to date, much higher than last year’s same period, Tien added, blaming abnormal weather condition and increasingly environment pollution to the situation. Health experts from the regional countries have also gathered at a meeting in Hanoi to share experiences and discuss ways to prevent and combat dengue fever more effectively. To prevent and cope with the disease at national and regional levels, Tien also urged to boost close cooperation among member countries and call for the international community’s support to deal with the matter. Vietnam has seen rising number of dengue fever patients among adults in recent years, accounting for 37% of the country’s total 120,000 cases in 2010, compared to 24% in 2007, experts noted. (Dat Viet – National Land April 21 p6)
