Medical workers warned the disease comes earlier than normally, people should raise their alert because there has been a spike of patients though it just started.
The Ho Chi Minh City –based Tropical Disease Hospital said that from early June , it has admitted 798 hospitalized dengue patients doubling the same period last year.
Of 151 in-patients, 25 are children and 10 of them are in critical condition and put on ventilators in intensive care rooms.
Head of the Infectious Ward Dr. Nguyen Thanh Phong said that in May, the ward received 20-25 cases a day on average but there has been a rise since June with 70 cases a day.
The increase in dengue patients has shown peak season start earlier, said Dr. Phong. Worse, two died last week. Patients are being treated in corridors because no more space in rooms for patients, Dr. Phong added.
Medical workers in the Children Hospital No.1 and the City Children Hospital said cases of dengue kids have gone up from June. They warned rainy weather, the season of mosquitoes lay eggs, is conducive for the disease.
Physicians also warned of obese children and adults will suffer serious development when getting dengue. Obesity presents challenges to physicians and patients and also has a negative impact on health status. Dr. Phong provided an example of ten death last year in the infirmary, half were obese people.
Moreover, obesity as a risk factor for dengue shock syndrome in children. Overweight children have more shock than their peers with the rate of 15 percent and 4.6 percent respectively.
Presently, the ward is working with Oxford University in Vietnam to carry out research on dengue on obese patients.
According to a report of the Department of Health in the southern province of Binh Duong, in the first six months of the year, there have been nearly 3,000 dengue cases, a year-on-year increase of 22 percent.
The health sector blamed more immigrants, traveling and people’s low awareness of the disease for the disease outbreaks.
There is currently no cure or vaccine for dengue.
