VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese citizens have been strongly cautioned about the spread of dengue fever, foot-and-mouth and respiratory diseases during the rainy season, which lasts from May to October in the north and until November in the south.

The Ministry of Health said that 22,800 cases of dengue fever have been reported so far this year nationwide, including 22 deaths.

The Government has also confirmed nearly 30,000 cases of hand-foot-mouth disease with 70 fatal instances thus far, which is four times higher than last year.

"Although dengue fever has been less common than last year in the northern region, an outbreak of the disease is still a possibility," said Nguyen Hong Ha, deputy director of the Central Tropical Disease Hospital.

Hoang Nghia Dai, from Dong Nai Province's Health Department, said that people living in flood-hit areas were especially at risk, but that all citizens were advised to prevent the spread of cholera and diarrhoea.

Hand-foot-mouth disease, cholera and diarrhoea usually spread via the digestive system, so the best way to prevent infection is to maintain good personal hygiene, Dai noted.

"It is necessary to keep your hands clean," he said.

People are advised to visit the nearest health clinic if they start to experience symptoms, such as haemorrhaging or diarrhoea two days after a fever.

In order to minimise the outbreak and spread of the dengue fever, it is advisable to hang mosquito nets and keep interiors dry so that the insects cannot breed as easily.

Health ministry inspection teams began to check local practice and direct activities to prevent hand-foot-mouth disease in 25 localities on Wednesday.

The inspection is scheduled to conclude at the end of this month, according to a report released by the ministry.

Tran Thanh Duong, deputy head of the ministry's Preventive Medicine Department, will conduct epidemiology inspections and take samples from serious or complicated cases for testing.

This precaution would track any change in the viruses, he said.

The ministry would also co-operate with the education sector to spray disinfectants at kindergartens before the new school year begins, he said.

Meanwhile, the Can Tho City Paediatrics Hospital and Preventive Medical Centre have warned that the hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) could spread rapidly among children from September to November, when the new school year begins.

Le Hoang Son, director of the paediatrics hospital, said the viral disease easily affected infants and children, so the schools would be ideal locations for "small epidemics" to occur.

The Can Tho City People's Committee has asked the city's health department to promote preventive measures and closely monitor and control outbreaks of the disease in schools, especially kindergartens.

Statistics compiled by the Can Tho City paediatrics hospital showed that nearly 3,400 people in the city were infected with the disease in the first seven months of the year, an increase of 60 per cent over the same period last year.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News