HCM City (VNA) - Unseasonable weather in southwestern provinces during thedry season has led to an increase in cases of diarrhoea, dengue fever, andhand, foot and mouth disease, all of which usually occur during the rainyseason, according to health experts.

The CanTho Pediatric Hospital in Can Tho city has recorded about 12,400 cases ofdiarrhoea, 500 cases of dengue fever, and 2,400 cases of hand, foot and mouthdisease.

Dr NguyenDuc Tri, deputy head of the hospital’s general planning department, said thenumber of child patients has risen recently, with an increase of 20 percent indiarrhoea cases and 23 percent in dengue fever cases and hand-foot-mouth (HFM)cases against last year.

Dr Ha AnhTuan of the Can Tho Pediatric Hospital said that diseases that occurr only inthe rainy season are now more prevalent during the dry season.

Manypatients do not realise that fever is often a symptom of dengue fever and hand,foot and mouth disease.

As a result, parents purchase medicine at pharmacies and take their children tothe hospital only when the fever becomes more serious.

In the CuuLong (Mekong) Delta province of Tien Giang, the number of dengue fever and hand,foot and mouth cases has increased slightly compared to the same period lastyear.

At the TienGiang General Hospital, many beds are shared by two patients, and some bedshave been set up outside rooms.

Dr Do Quang Thanh, deputy head of the hospital’s general planning department,said the hospital has received about 88 dengue fever cases this year, anincrease of 18 cases against last year.

Dr HongTuan Hoa, deputy director of Soc Trang Pediatric-Obstetrics Hospital, saidthere is also a slight increase in the number of patients visiting the hospitalfor checkups and treatment.

This year, the hospital has received 870 patients in the internal medicinedepartment, with 87 percent of them diagnosed with respiratory disease. Of4,800 outpatients, nearly 50 percent had respiratory disease.

Dr. DuongVan Ni of the Can Tho University said that global climate change has changedthe normal cycle of two seasons.

Healthprevention should now include measures that will apply in both the dry andrainy seasons, he said.

The unseasonable rains have created favourable conditions for developingmosquitoes and diseases.

Tuan of theCan Tho Pediatric Hospital said the peak season of dengue fever in the pastgenerally fell from May to November, but the number of cases rose during thedry season this year.

Dengue fever is transmitted by mosquitoes carrying the virus. In the earlystage, its symptoms include high fever, severe headaches and joint aches, whichcan be confused with symptoms of other diseases.

Thedisease has potentially dangerous complications such as shock, respiratoryfailure, coagulation, liver damage and altered mental status, and can even befatal.-VNA