At least 548 dengue fever patients have been admitted to hospitals in Hanoi this year, marking a threefold increase from the same period last year.
During the second week of June alone, 77 dengue patients were recorded in the capital, with some blaming the recent hot weather, VnExpress reports.
According to the Hanoi Center for Disease Control, recent high temperatures combined with wet weather has created ideal conditions for mosquitoes, which leads to increasing rates of infection.
In 2018, Hanoi had recorded 348 cases of dengue by August. By September of that year, more than 64,000 cases of the disease has been recorded nationwide, including 11 deaths. In 2017, however, the figure rose over 180,000 and killed 30.
Dengue fever is caused by one of four dengue viruses which are spread via mosquito bites. Typical symptoms include fever, a rash, headaches, and severe muscle pain.
In Vietnam, the viruses are often carried by Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito (muỗi vằn in Vietnamese), which lives in damp, polluted environments such as construction sites or makeshift living spaces. It can be identified by white markings on its body and legs.
This year-round disease can be treated using papaya leaf extract. An initiative set up via a partnership between the Australia-based World Mosquito Program and the Eliminate Dengue Project in Vietnam has been using a bacterium to try and eradicate dengue from Vietnam.
[Photo via Wikipedia]
