Dengue fever on rise in Vietnam
HANOI - Dengue fever has killed twice as many people in Vietnam compared to the same time last year and the mosquito-borne disease may just be getting started, state-controlled media reported Saturday.
According to the Ministry of Health, 5,371 people have contracted the disease so far this year, an increase of 91 percent from a year earlier, including 10 deaths, the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper said. More than 90 percent of the patients live in southern Vietnam, including nearly 1,500 cases in the southern commercial hub Ho Chi Minh City, it said.
The newspaper quoted Health Minister Tran Thi Trung Chien as warning that dengue fever could spread on a much larger scale this year as it has in Indonesia where that country's most deadly outbreak has killed more than 500 people. Tropical climates provides an ideal environment for dengue fever, which is characterized by high fever, headaches, aching joints and skin rashes. It is curable if treated early, but no vaccine currently exists.
The Associated Press - March 26, 2004
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