HCMCity (VNS/VNA) - Provinces in the Mekong Delta have stepped uppreventive measures to reduce the risk of outbreaks after an increase in thenumber of dengue fever cases in various parts of the region.

TheDepartment of Health of Ben Tre province has reported 2,708 cases ofdengue fever, with no deaths, since the beginning of the year, anincrease of 820 cases compared to the same period last year.

Dr.Ngo Van Tan, director of the department, said health authoritieswere speeding up preventive measures to prevent outbreaks, includingan awareness drive and measures to eliminate mosquito breeding sources, andspraying of chemicals to kill mosquitoes in high-risk areas where dengue caseshave been reported.

Thetransition from the hot season to the rainy season provides favourableconditions for mosquitoes to develop, resulting in more dengue fever cases. Therisk of dengue fever outbreaks is high if preventive measures are not put inplace in a timely manner, Tan said.

InDong Thap province, more than 1,700 people have had dengue fever,including 48 people with severe dengue fever since the beginning ofthe year. There have been no deaths.

Theprovincial Department of Health has strengthened preventive measures, said DuongAn Han, deputy director of the Centre for Disease Control.

Thedepartment has conducted three campaigns on killing mosquitoes andmosquito larvae in residential areas and households and raising publicawareness about disease prevention and treatment.

VanCong Minh, Director of the Department of Health of Vinh Long province, saidthat around 100 mosquito larvae breeding sites hadbeen identified and were being closely supervised by public healthofficials.

Thenumber of dengue cases in September was higher than the previous month. Morethan 30 people were diagnosed with dengue fever each week inSeptember, a two-fold rise compared to one-week figures in August.The upward trend during the rainy season is expected tocontinue.  

Atotal of 389 dengue cases have been reported in Ca Mau province since thebeginning of the year, a year-on-year drop of 60 per cent, according to theprovince’s Centre for Disease Control. However, the number of dengue caseshas risen in the last few weeks.

Theprovince has focused on preventive measures, with more than 200 mosquitolarvae breeding sites eliminated and three communes sprayed withchemicals./.