Dengue fever kills 16 in Vietnam amid severe summer outbreak
| A doctor checks a baby infected with the dengue virus at the Children's Hospital No.1 in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Nguyen Mi |
A leading children hospital in Ho Chi Minh City has been crowded with dengue fever patients as the number of infections across the country has increased 2.5 times from last year's summer. Nguyen Minh Tuan, head of the dengue fever faculty at the Children's Hospital No.1, said more than 25,000 cases have been reported nationwide, including 16 deaths. Tuan said six children patients have died at his hospital, four of them transferred from other provinces. They were between one and 15 years old, who were admitted late or suffering from another health conditions, he said.
| Parents of dengue fever patients at HCMC Children's Hospital No.1 sleep on the floor as many rooms are crowded. Photo: Nguyen Mi |
His faculty is treating 102 patients, including 13 severe cases who need intensive care and respiratory support.
"The number of patients is rising so fast, both at my hospital and around the country." Ho Chi Minh City is among places with the highest number of patients, besides Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, and Hanoi. Tuan said the disease has a cyclical pattern and tends to become very severe after three to five years. The flu-like dengue fever affects children and adults alike and can be fatal without early treatment.Mosquitos are the main vector of the virus.
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