Ho Chi Minh City: Warning of sharp increase in dengue fever cases

Doctors warn that the dengue fever epidemic will continue until the end of the year and people should not be subjective and need to strictly follow disease prevention measures.

For over a month now, dengue fever has been on the rise in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces and cities.

At the final hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, many patients with severe dengue fever are continuously admitted.

Doctors warn that the dengue fever epidemic will continue until the end of the year and people should not be subjective and need to strictly follow disease prevention measures.

Many people hospitalized due to dengue fever

Hospitalized after 4 days of high fever that did not subside, Mr. Tran Ngoc Vinh (39 years old, residing in Binh Chanh commune) was diagnosed with severe dengue fever by doctors at the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases. After 3 days of treatment, the signs of fever gradually subsided but Mr. Vinh still felt quite tired.

“At first I thought it was just a normal fever so I just bought some fever-reducing medicine to take, but after that I continued to have a high fever that did not go down and I became more and more tired. Only then did I go to the hospital and the doctor said my illness was serious,” said Vinh.

Dr. Phan Vinh Tho, Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases D, Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said that on average, the unit treats about 40 cases of dengue fever every day. The number of hospitalized cases has been increasing for a month now and is showing signs of increasing.

In total, from the beginning of the year until now, Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases has received 6,146 patients with dengue fever (while in the same period in 2024 there were only about 700 cases), of which 3,114 patients were hospitalized for treatment.

According to Dr. Tho, although it is still early in the epidemic season, the number of dengue fever cases hospitalized this year is higher than the same period in previous years and is expected to continue to increase when the southern region enters the rainy season. Notably, the number of severe dengue fever cases is increasing compared to previous years, accounting for about 19% of the total number of hospitalizations.

The Department of Emergency, Intensive Care, and Anti-Poisoning for Adults, Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases, has also been receiving severe dengue fever cases in recent days. The department is treating 6 severe dengue fever cases, of which 3 require mechanical ventilation and blood filtration, while the remaining 3 are receiving non-invasive respiratory support and other supportive measures.

A child with dengue fever is being treated at Children's Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: Dinh Hang/VNA)

Not only in adults, the number of dengue fever cases in children coming for examination and treatment at the final level children's hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City is also increasing. The Dengue Fever Department, Children's Hospital 1 currently treats about 50-60 cases of children with dengue fever every day, of which severe cases account for about 30%.

As in the case of patient NTTNg (9 years old, residing in Tay Ninh province) who was hospitalized in a comatose state due to pleural effusion after the 5th day of IV infusion and transferred from a lower level. Ms. VNTr (the patient's mother) said that at first the child had a high fever, the family bought antipyretics to take but the fever did not go down, on the 4th day of hospitalization at a lower level hospital, was diagnosed with dengue fever, IV infusion but pleural effusion, then immediately transferred to Children's Hospital 1.

“When I transferred him to the hospital, he was very tired, had difficulty breathing and was unconscious, so I was very worried. Luckily, after 2 days of emergency treatment, he got better and was completely awake,” Ms. Tr shared.

Don't be subjective.

Explaining the situation of dengue fever this year with many severe cases, Dr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, Head of the Dengue Fever Department, Children's Hospital 1, said that in previous years, it was mainly the Dengue 1 strain, but this year, the Dengue 2 virus strain appeared more. For dengue fever, each time a new strain changes, it often leaves an immune gap, causing the number of cases to increase and the number of severe cases to increase as well. In particular, the Dengue 2 strain is also the strain that can cause more severe conditions than other strains.

Besides, in the early days, the symptoms of dengue fever are quite similar to viral fever, so patients and medical staff are often subjective and do not detect the disease in time until it is already severe by the time they are hospitalized.

Sharing the same view, Dr. Phan Vinh Tho, Head of Department of Infectious Diseases D, said that there are still many patients who are subjective and refuse to be hospitalized despite being prescribed because they think they only have a fever and no unusual signs.

“Dengue fever, when severe, progresses very quickly, within hours. If not closely monitored, it will become severe or very severe. By the time you are hospitalized, it will be severe, making treatment very difficult and life-threatening,” Dr. Tho warned.

Dr. Nguyen Minh Tuan, Head of the Dengue Fever Department, Children's Hospital 1, Ho Chi Minh City, examines a child with dengue fever. (Photo: Dinh Hang/VNA)

Colonel, Doctor Vu Dinh An, Head of the Intensive Care Department, Military Hospital 175 also said that the unit regularly receives cases of severe dengue fever due to patients' subjectivity.

Currently, the Intensive Care Unit, Military Hospital 175 is treating 2 severe cases requiring ventilators, most of whom were admitted late due to obesity.

Doctor An recommends that people in high-risk groups such as newborns, pregnant women, overweight and obese people, and people with underlying medical conditions should be hospitalized immediately upon detection of dengue fever to be monitored and treated promptly, avoiding the risk of severe progression.

Doctors warn that the dengue fever season may last until the end of the year, so people need to follow the disease prevention measures recommended by the health sector such as killing mosquitoes, killing larvae, cleaning up risky areas, and preventing mosquito bites even during the day. In particular, people should note that when showing signs of dengue fever, they should immediately go to a medical facility for examination, disease detection, treatment, and timely monitoring to avoid the risk of the disease becoming severe.

The Ministry of Health has licensed the dengue fever vaccine and this is considered an effective weapon to prevent the risk of getting the disease and reduce the risk of the disease becoming severe. The vaccine can prevent all 4 strains of the dengue virus and is indicated for people aged 4 years and older./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/thanh-pho-ho-chi-minh-canh-bao-so-ca-sot-xuat-huyet-tang-manh-post1052482.vnp