VietNamNet Bridge – Ha Noi has been taking efforts to stamp out the dengue fever outbreak which has plagued the city in recent months, with nearly 15,400 cases reported in 12 districts so far this year.

Overloads at Bach Mai Hospital due to the dengue fever outbreak.—Photo: VNA/VNS

By Tuesday, 18 large-scale mosquito spraying machines had been handed over to the city’s Preventive Medicine Centre. Three other machines are being repaired and will be brought to the city.

From now until the end of this month, Ha Noi plans to conduct a large-scale mosquito spraying campaign, focusing on crowded areas such as markets, schools, construction sites, abandoned land and houses. Residents will be informed before the spraying occurs.

In areas where cars and trucks can approach, large spraying machines will be used at night while small sprayers will be used at households during daytime. Ha Noi has been supplied with more 30 small spraying machines and 300 litres of chemicals to conduct the campaign.

Addressing an incident where many students at Quang Trung Secondary School in Dong Da District suffered allergic reactions and painful eyes after the school sprayed mosquito-killing chemicals, the city’s Preventive Healthcare Centre Nguyen Nhat Cam said the reaction could happen to people with allergic conditions, including children. However, it would cause no harm to their health.

Cam affirmed the chemical is licensed by the Ministry of Healthy. Therefore, parents should not be worried.

Seven people have so far died dengue fever this year, compared to only one or two in previous years.

The outbreak has struck 12 districts, including Dong Da, Hoang Mai, Hai Ba Trung, Thanh Xuan, Ha Dong, Cau Giay, Thanh Tri, Ba Dinh, Nam Tu Liem, Thanh Oai, Bac Tu Liem and Hoai Duc.

People’s involvement

A representative from HCM City’s Center for Preventive Medicine said that in the last seven weeks, dengue fever has shown signs of slowing down. In addition to measures from city leaders, many localities have developed innovative and effective ways to fight the disease.

From the beginning of 2017, District 8 recorded 542 cases of dengue fever, increasing 5 per cent over the same period in 2016. However this increase is much lower compared to the general increase of 27 per cent of the city.

Nguyen Thi Hong Bien - Deputy Director of District 8 Health Center said that to achieve this result, district leaders and people worked hard. The head of the district People’s Committee regularly leads a team to survey each risk point, devises plans and assigns the wards to handle these risk points, she said.

To date, of a total 66 high risk areas in District 8, 59 have been resolved.

For example, Ba Ro canal, which is located in Ward 16, one of the district’s worst spots for environmental and disease outbreaks including dengue fever, is encroached by people who built houses on the canal. The District 8 Health Center has proposed for a canal cleaning project to be implemented and no dengue fever has been reported from this area since early this year.

Plan to release dengue-blocking mosquito with bacteria postponed

The People’s Committee in central Khanh Hoa Province has decided not to release mosquitoes with Wolbachia bacteria in the inner city to check dengue fever, provincial authorities have said.`

Provincial chairman Le Duc Vinh said on Monday the mosquitoes will be released in Vinh Luong Commune instead of four wards of the province’s Nha Trang City.

As planned, the mosquitoes are expected to be released in Vinh Phuoc, Vinh Tho, Vinh Truong and Phuoc Long wards.

Chairman Vinh said the province would review the project to release mosquitoes in the inner city because many issues needed to be studied.

Many feel that with the large population and the difference in the environment of a city and island, the release should be reviewed.

The release of mosquitoes with Wolbachia has been implemented on a trial basis on the city’s Tri Nguyen Island and has proven effective, with no dengue fever outbreak reported on the island.

Moreover, release in the city would affect tourism activities, Vinh said.

The trial release in Vinh Luong Commune is expected to begin once the peak of the monsoon is over for this year, local media reported on Tuesday.

However, the release would be delayed, Bui Xuan Minh, director of the Health Department, said.

In the future, the department will meet with Vinh Luong Commune’s representatives to get the opinion of the community and to submit the plan of changing the release area to the Ministry of Health for approval, Minh said. 

Source: VNS