The community should join hand in preventing dengue fever from becoming an epidemic, as forecast earlier this year, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health.
A dengue fever patient is under treatment at the HCM City Paediatrics Hospital No 1 (Source: VNA)
The community should join hand in preventing dengue fever from becoming an epidemic, as forecast earlier this year, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health.
Despite a number of preventive measures, the number of dengue cases in the city and some southern provinces remains high with new outbreaks regularly occurring.
As of September 20, the city had logged 9,357 dengue patients, an annual rise of 72 percent. Most of the cases were recorded in densely populated areas, and mainly among adults.
According to Dr Phan Thanh Phuoc, Director of the Preventive Health Centre in District 2 – where the number of dengue patients is increasing, many construction projects are being carried out in the region enabling mosquito development, especially in the rainy season.
He cited local lack of awareness of environmental hygiene as one of the culprits in the disease outbreak.
A statistic from District 10’s Preventive Health Centre showed that 40-50 percent of local households did not cooperate with health officials in spraying mosquito chemical repellent, causing difficulties in limiting the outbreak.
Dr Nguyen Huu Hung, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Health, said local authorities should apply administrative fines on households not involved in dengue prevention efforts.
𝔉 According to the World Health Organisation, dengue fever is contracted through bites from dengue-infected mosquitoes, causing headaches, fever, exhaustion, severe muscle and joint pain, swollen glands, vomiting and rashes. There is no medication to treat the disease, only to ease the symptoms.-VNA
The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has asked the city’s departments and localities to intensify efforts to prevent dengue, which is developing complicatedly in the city and the southern region.
The Ministry of Health will set up five inspection teams to monitor dengue fever conditions throughout the country because of the complicated situation caused by dengue outbreaks.
The Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City on August 28 held a conference on reviewing and sharing experiences in dengue fever prevention in the southern region.
Vietnamese people spend a total of 1.4-1.6 trillion VND (62.2-71.1 million USD) each year on treatment of dengue fever, a recent survey conducted by the Ministry of Health has revealed.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has given a number of directions to authorities and relevant agencies, requesting them to stem the outbreak of dengue fever, which is on the rise in 50 localities.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
A dengue fever patient is under treatment at the HCM City Paediatrics Hospital No 1 (Source: VNA)
